TOP 10 BEST PLANTS FOR YOUR INDOOR VERTICAL GARDEN

07 November 2014 by Gavin Walsh

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An indoor vertical garden is the best way to fit in some relaxing natural elements into a tight space. Anything of a reasonable size can be planted in a vertical garden. You can also choose to plant a selection of flowering greenery, vines or even cactus.  Alternatively, you can grow a selection of herbs in a vertical wall garden, hanging the containment system in your kitchen. You can even make a vertical wall garden of veggies - using the right materials, it’s possible create a stable structure able to support larger vegetable plants such as tomatoes. However, your vertical garden will not survive long if you have issues with water and nutrient distribution across the vertical space, inefficient light and especially, inappropriate plant species.

 

When deciding which plants to choose for your indoor vertical garden, you need to consider a few things: how much light plants will receive, the depth of plant roots and the positioning of the plants on the wall. Here are some indoor garden favorites, which are perfect for vertical planting.

Pothos (Epipremnum sp.)

 

One of the best indoor plants for low-light situations, Pothos is a vining plant that's easy to care for and can be coaxed to climb or to hang from its resting place. It is also one of the container plants, that NASA has found to be most beneficial to indoor air quality! The golden Pothos is one of the plants that removed the most formaldehyde and benzyne from the air when kept indoors.

Lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus radicans)

 

Recognized for its excellence as an interior plant, Lipstick plant takes lower light levels and dry conditions with ease. As house plants they are most often grown in hanging baskets but can be trained to climb up as well. Thanks to its red flower buds and shiny green leaves, this plant will surely brighten up your indoor vertical garden composition.

Philodendron (Philodendron sp.)

 

One of the most popular ornamental plants, Philodendron is a climbing plant, that grows easily everywhere: they have aerial roots that embed into just about anything — including a nearby houseplant or a crack in the wall. The Philodendron plant will in fact probably do better in an indoor garden, unless you have a very shady balcony garden.

 

Wedding vine (Stephanotis floribunda)

 

The wedding vine is a flowering, fragrant climbing plant, fairly tolerant to wet and dry conditions. It does require high levels of light to perform at its best and flower. Overall, it shouldn't have problems growing indoors, since the vines do well under artificial light as long as sufficient candlepower is provided.

 

Croton (Codiaeum variegatum)

 

This shrub is very easy to grow if you have access to bright light and you keep humidity constant. It’s colorful leaves warm up indoor space and provide an interesting background for flowering species.

 

Dracaena

 

Shrubby species from this genus, such as as D. deremensis, D. fragrans, D. godseffiana, D. marginata, and D. braunii, are very popular as houseplants due to their attractive leaf coloring. You can expect hues of white, yellow, red and cream on your wall with this plant. If you place them away from the light, the leaf color may fade slightly, but they can tolerate slightly lower light conditions well.

 

Ferns

 

There are a great variety of fern species that can grow indoors. From sword fern (Nephrolepsis exaltata) to hart's tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium), most of fern species have a great range of adaptability for different humid and light conditions. Just remember to place the ferns closer to the base – that makes it  easier to for them to soak up water.

 

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)

 

If you're planning to plant herbs in your vertical garden, chives have the better chance to survival indoors, especially if your wall doesn't get much sun exposure. Your best bet is to get a cutting from an already existing chive plant, but do cut from the very roots.

 

Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum)

 

If your vertical garden faces the sunlight, Greek Oregano is a sun-loving herb, needing at least six to eight hours of sun. This is a good choice if you're planning to have a vertical indoor garden in your kitchen, since the Greek Oregano is an appreciated culinary herb, especially for Mediterrean dishes. Its leaves gain more flavor and potency when dried.

 

Lettuce and spinach

 

Not all vertical garden selections have to be plants that climb their way to the top. Leafy greens - as spinach and lettuce - are a great choice for vertical garden containers because of their shallow roots and compact habitat.  The fact that they can tolerate shade well, makes them very useful for filling in the lower levels of tall structures.

 

Image sources:

 

Vertical herb garden

http://www.gardenista.com/files/styles/733_0s/public/img/sub/uimg/04-2013/700_agrarian-vertical-gardening-copy.jpg 

 

Flower vertical garden

http://digzine.com/9106/vertical-garden-design/vertical-garden-design-with-gorgeous-indoor-vertical-flowers-garden-in-tabletop/#main 

 

 

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