Garden Vertical Gardens Are the Ideal Small-Space Solution—Here Are 11 Ideas to Get Started Save space in your indoor or outdoor garden by going vertical. By Madeline Buiano Madeline Buiano Madeline Buiano is an associate editor at MarthaStewart.com, sharing her knowledge on a range of topics—from gardening and cleaning to home and pets. She has five years of writing and editing experience in the digital publishing industry. Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 26, 2024 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: GETTY IMAGES Whether you have a sprawling backyard or a small patio, vertical gardening is an effective way to add height and beauty to your space. This style of gardening utilizes vertical structures, like walls, trellises, fences, and doors, which provide support for plants to grow upward rather than outward. Ahead, we spoke to experts for more on this space-saving technique that can be used to grow flowers, herbs, and vegetables, both indoors and outdoors. 19 Garden Trellis Ideas That Showcase the Beauty of Climbing Plants What Is a Vertical Garden? Vertical gardening is the art of using vertical space to grow plants, whether you display them in hanging baskets, along trellises, or install a full-scale living wall. "A vertical garden inverts the typical structure we think of for a garden," says Joe Raboine, the director of residential hardscapes at Belgard, a seller of commercial outdoor porcelain pavers. "Rather than a flat or horizontal bed, vertical gardens are installed along some type of vertical support" Benefits of a Vertical Garden There are many benefits of growing a vertical garden. "First, vertical gardens are great for people who may not have ample backyard space but still want to have some color and greenery," says Raboine. "You can even have a vertical garden if you just have a small apartment terrace." In addition to being major space savers, vertical gardens also help you conserve water in your garden. "Vertical gardening saves on water usage because water dripping from the top layer will also water plants below," says Carrie Spoonemore, co-creator of Park Seed's From Seed to Spoon app. The Best Plants for Vertical Gardens Any plant that is suitable for container planting will thrive in a vertical garden. "When choosing plants for a vertical garden, keep in mind that plants with shallow roots, like annual flowers, vegetables, and herbs, will perform better in a container than perennials," says Spoonemore. Vining plants are generally some of the best to grow when vertical gardening because they create a beautiful trailing effect along fences, trellises, and other upright structures. Generally, vegetables aren't ideal for vertical gardening because they need a deep root system to thrive, but there are still options you can try. Leafy greens, like lettuce or spinach, have shallow root systems that are suitable for container planting. Herbs, including mint, parsley, and rosemary, are also great options for vertical gardening thanks to their shallow root systems. Vertical Garden Ideas Use these ideas as inspiration when creating your own vertical garden. 01 of 11 Install a Trellis ablokhin / GETTY IMAGES If you want to add more greenery to your backyard but are running out of ground space, consider adding a trellis. Grow trailing plants or flowering vines up the trellis, which will fill it in with time. "Trailing plants are beautiful additions to vertical gardens," says Raboine. "Because they trail or hang, they have a beautiful lengthening effect that feels very organic and dramatic, especially along a vertical structure." 13 Best Climbing Plants for Your Backyard Pergolas, Fences, and Trellises 02 of 11 Use Hanging Baskets RiverNorthPhotography / GETTY IMAGES Hanging baskets are one of the easiest ways to grow plants without taking up precious space in your ground, on windowsills, and other structures that commonly house greenery. "Hanging baskets are great if you have minimal space to work with," says Spoonemore. "They also don't require much installation or a great deal of maintenance." 03 of 11 Create a Living Wall GETTY IMAGES A living wall is essentially an ecosystem of plants and typically includes varieties that thrive year-round—they can be grown both indoors or out. "One of the benefits of living walls is that they allow us to incorporate an abundance of plants inside without things getting too crowded," says Rebecca Bullene, the founder of Greenery NYC. "Living walls typically will have hundreds of plants in them—it would take up too much room to put those on the floor, you'd have nowhere to walk." Another bonus: plant installations double as living art on the walls. 11 Succulent Wall Ideas That Make the Most of Vertical Surfaces and Upcycled Objects 04 of 11 Create a Stacked Display Don't have room for multiple container plants? Consider stacking them, like we did here. For this potted plant display, herbs like rosemary, sage, parsley, thyme, and oregano, are grown in separate, stackable pots. 05 of 11 Use Up-Cycled Materials ZeynepKaya / Getty Images Vertical gardens offer creative opportunities for up-cycling materials, including pallets and old containers. "By utilizing salvaged materials to create trellises and arbors, you reduce waste, conserve resources, and bring new life to something that would have otherwise been destined for the landfill," says Brandy Hall, CEO and founder of Shades of Green. 06 of 11 Use a Hanging Rack Naomi Rahim / GETTY IMAGES Whether you're growing a vertical garden indoors or outside, a hanging rack is a smart way to keep your container plants organized. Choose a rack with slots and nestle your pot into each opening for a gardening setup that acts as décor. 07 of 11 Repurpose a Ladder Nadtochiy / Getty Images Have an old ladder sitting around you no longer use? Repurpose it by creating a rustic setup for your potted plants. This display also makes it easier to water all of your plants at once. 08 of 11 Install Window Boxes Ken Wiedemann / Getty Images Plants with shallow roots systems, like many herbs and some annual flowers, will grow well in window boxes. "Window boxes can be a great option, depending on your home style and the effect you want to achieve," says Raboine. "You'll need to consider how it will be mounted, depending on the material of the exterior of your home. Brick or stucco has to be drilled into in order for anchors to be installed." The Best Types of Flowers for Your Window Boxes 09 of 11 Display Windowsill Herbs Geshas / Getty Images It doesn't take much to create a vertical garden. Even something as simple as displaying a few potted herbs on your windowsill makes use of built-in vertical space—and keeps your culinary garden close. How to Grow a Windowsill Herb Garden, From Planting to Harvesting 10 of 11 Grow Column-Style Plants Vladimir Mironov / Getty Images When people think of vertical gardens, small potted plants often come to mind. But you can also conserve space with plants that grow right in the ground. "Column-style plants, like trees, are another great option for your vertical garden," says Raboine. "They create more visual interest and can somewhat break up different plants or structures in the garden. They also do not need to be grown with supports." 12 Small Trees With Big Curb Appeal 11 of 11 Hang Floating Shelves Yulia Naumenko / Getty Images Indoors, consider hanging floating shelves on your walls as an easy way to display plants. "Floating shelves can be placed strategically so that potted plants can trail and fill in spaces as they grow," says Spoonemore. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit