Book Review: 'Vertical Gardens' by Leigh Clapp and Hattie Klotz
Vertical gardens are the perfect garden solution for compact living spaces
Connecting with nature is as important as ever, but it’s often tricky to figure out how to set up a garden when you’re short on living space. Vertical Gardens, a book by Leigh Clapp and Hattie Klotz has a solution – the vertical garden. These gardens have the ability to transform balconies, rooftops, outdoor dining areas and courtyards, can make great privacy screens and are low maintenance. But an aspect we hadn’t considered before reading the book was that they can also provide a space in which to grow edible plants. The book features over 100 projects, mostly located in the UK, but all of which you can take inspiration from for your own home.
Vertical Gardens serves as both an avenue for inspiration and has practical advice on how to create your own vertical garden. The striking photography of the lush gardens will make you want to get started on making one ASAP. From history to design and different types of vertical gardens, everything you want to know is covered in this book. Below is an extract from the book that focuses on edible vertical gardens.
Vertical Gardens serves as both an avenue for inspiration and has practical advice on how to create your own vertical garden. The striking photography of the lush gardens will make you want to get started on making one ASAP. From history to design and different types of vertical gardens, everything you want to know is covered in this book. Below is an extract from the book that focuses on edible vertical gardens.
Edible high rise
While this nine-metre-high living wall herb tower offered more herbs than a family could possibly eat in a year, it showed the potential for edible gardening on a restricted, vertical plane.
Designed by Patrick Collins and Laurie Chetwood for the British DIY store B&Q and installed by Willerby Landscapes as a show garden, the concept was to explore the potential for vertical allotment gardening and to inspire people to grow their own vegetables even with limited space.
Abundant plant boxes at each balcony level included tomatoes, peppers, brassicas and edible flowers, while the walls, planted using the Biotecture hydroponic system, boasted a tapestry of herbs. The whole tower was entirely self-sufficient and included rainwater harvesting, a thermal chimney, solar panels and a wind turbine.
While this nine-metre-high living wall herb tower offered more herbs than a family could possibly eat in a year, it showed the potential for edible gardening on a restricted, vertical plane.
Designed by Patrick Collins and Laurie Chetwood for the British DIY store B&Q and installed by Willerby Landscapes as a show garden, the concept was to explore the potential for vertical allotment gardening and to inspire people to grow their own vegetables even with limited space.
Abundant plant boxes at each balcony level included tomatoes, peppers, brassicas and edible flowers, while the walls, planted using the Biotecture hydroponic system, boasted a tapestry of herbs. The whole tower was entirely self-sufficient and included rainwater harvesting, a thermal chimney, solar panels and a wind turbine.
Citrus courtyard
The show garden above was designed to celebrate the UK county of Kent as the ‘Garden of England’, a place where fruit crops flourish. It showcases the production of a diverse range of fruit crops against a background of climate change, water sustainability and locavore eating.
A modern courtyard garden features an outdoor dining area and ribbons of vertically-grown strawberries as a focal point in the living wall. Designed by Mandy Buckland for Hadlow College, a local and renowned land-based centre of learning, the vertical elements were planted using the ANS Global soil-based system. Easily adaptable for an urban garden, this design would work well in a small city garden for owners interested in seasonal fruit and herb production.
The show garden above was designed to celebrate the UK county of Kent as the ‘Garden of England’, a place where fruit crops flourish. It showcases the production of a diverse range of fruit crops against a background of climate change, water sustainability and locavore eating.
A modern courtyard garden features an outdoor dining area and ribbons of vertically-grown strawberries as a focal point in the living wall. Designed by Mandy Buckland for Hadlow College, a local and renowned land-based centre of learning, the vertical elements were planted using the ANS Global soil-based system. Easily adaptable for an urban garden, this design would work well in a small city garden for owners interested in seasonal fruit and herb production.
Eat landscape, growing together
Designed by Emily Ross of Eat Landscape, this garden offers a contemporary take on gardening in small spaces – including a 1.85 square metre vertical wall – and using that small space to produce vegetables.
Raised beds made from simple reclaimed scaffolding boards feature ruby chard, purple sage and red perilla, which were picked up by the vertical garden growing up the wall and by resin bound gravel stripes that ran through the garden. Planted using the ANS Global soil-based system, the wall includes cabbage, chard, red perilla, turnip, alpine strawberries and herbs.
Designed by Emily Ross of Eat Landscape, this garden offers a contemporary take on gardening in small spaces – including a 1.85 square metre vertical wall – and using that small space to produce vegetables.
Raised beds made from simple reclaimed scaffolding boards feature ruby chard, purple sage and red perilla, which were picked up by the vertical garden growing up the wall and by resin bound gravel stripes that ran through the garden. Planted using the ANS Global soil-based system, the wall includes cabbage, chard, red perilla, turnip, alpine strawberries and herbs.
Wall pockets
If it’s all about food in your house, these simple wall pockets from Burgon and Ball offer an easy, quick and practical method to get your edible green wall growing fast.
Made from durable fabric with a waterproof back panel and holes in the the bottom of the upper level pockets to allow water to drip through to lower layers of plants, the Verti-plant pockets are easy to install and use. Just screw them to a wall or fence, fill the pockets with compost, plant your edibles, water and watch them grow. Here, the pockets are bursting with chives, oregano, sage, parsley and mint.
If it’s all about food in your house, these simple wall pockets from Burgon and Ball offer an easy, quick and practical method to get your edible green wall growing fast.
Made from durable fabric with a waterproof back panel and holes in the the bottom of the upper level pockets to allow water to drip through to lower layers of plants, the Verti-plant pockets are easy to install and use. Just screw them to a wall or fence, fill the pockets with compost, plant your edibles, water and watch them grow. Here, the pockets are bursting with chives, oregano, sage, parsley and mint.
Herb squares, rooftop workplace garden
If your space is restricted but your appetite for greenery and edible walls is not, this herb wall is a fabulous idea for any sunny space. Designed by Patricia Fox, the wall offers a series of herb squares, envisioned as an herbal tea bar, where you can pick fresh herbs and immediately make tea nearby. The wall was planted using the ANS Global soil-based system and includes many forms of mints, including lemon, chocolate, ginger and pineapple.
If your space is restricted but your appetite for greenery and edible walls is not, this herb wall is a fabulous idea for any sunny space. Designed by Patricia Fox, the wall offers a series of herb squares, envisioned as an herbal tea bar, where you can pick fresh herbs and immediately make tea nearby. The wall was planted using the ANS Global soil-based system and includes many forms of mints, including lemon, chocolate, ginger and pineapple.
‘Vertical Gardens’ by Leigh Clapp and Hattie Klotz (published by New Holland Publishers) is now available online and in book stores nationally.
TELL US
Have you installed a vertical garden at home, edible or otherwise? We’d love to see it! Upload photos in the Comments below.
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Read more stories about growing your own food
TELL US
Have you installed a vertical garden at home, edible or otherwise? We’d love to see it! Upload photos in the Comments below.
MORE
Read more stories about growing your own food
Gardening vertically presents an excellent opportunity to grow fruit, herbs and vegetables in a restricted space. Not only will an edible wall, packed with lettuces, leaves, herbs, strawberries and dwarf tomatoes make a great talking point, but it will stock your kitchen pantry.
Now, even the most space-restricted urban gardener can eat seasonally and hyper-locally. You can grow-your-own using these vertical gardening techniques and ideas.