If you live in an apartment or a townhouse with a small courtyard, your green thumb has probably been a bit frustrated. Until now. A vertical garden will get your balcony blooming.

These gorgeous potted gardens are a creative way to take an unused and unloved space and transform it into something lush and leafy.

On balconies and small courtyards where horizontal space is in scarce supply, going upwards makes sense. A vertical burst of colour to patios and pergolas and can even add drama to interiors.

While there are plenty of ready-to-buy options on the market, a vertical garden is a great way to incorporate a little DIY creativity into your garden.

But before you go crazy with two dozen soft drink bottles and a bag of potting mix, there are some guidelines that you should follow.

Design

First of all, choose your wall. Knowing whether you want to hide an ugly fence or make a feature of exposed brickwork will help decide the style of garden you create.

Cut out a stencil of the size of the garden on paper, and attach it to the wall. Too big? Cut it down to size. This way you can ensure that your garden fits nicely into its surroundings.

You can also make a vertical garden that doesn’t need to be attached to the wall – so renters can get in on the fun too. Have a look at Pinterest for some design inspiration. 

Drainage

Any planter box, vertical garden or not, has to drain properly. And trust us, you don’t want it to drip water down a brick wall or a timber fence. It could cause all sorts of problems down the track.

So make sure water has somewhere to go.

Materials

Here’s where you can get your creative juices flowing. Here are just some of the possibilities:

• Soft drink bottles
• Terracotta pots
• Hessian sacks
• Timber pallets
• Guttering
• Plumbing pipes
• Shoe bags (the one’s where you can hang a dozen shoes on a single hanger)
• Steel cans

Plant guide

Choosing plants for your vertical garden depends on whether your wall gets lots of sun, or no sun at all. A hot spot? Choose succulents or herbs.

Cool and shady? Stick with cool-climate ferns for a lush leafy look. Get some plant advice at your nearest nursery.

Whatever you plant, use a top quality potting mix, and water frequently after planting to let the plants get settled into their new home. After that, you can reduce watering to once a week.