DIY Living Wall Ideas
Bring the beauty of nature indoors with your own DIY living wall. Display your creation alongside a vibrant green succulent wall, and enjoy the beauty of all the greenery. For starters, a living plant wall needs to be crafted from sturdy materials like hardwood or composite wood. Then choose plants that add color, scents you enjoy or even herbs that add flavors to your cooking. Check out these tips from us at Pottery Barn on how you can spruce up your home with a hanging punch of green.
DIY Plant Wall Basics
Get started by locating the studs in your wall. The display needs to be sturdy because the plants can add a lot of weight to the frame. When you’re ready to hang up your plant wall, make sure to mount it to studs for added stability. The distance between the studs will help you determine the overall width of the piece. The ideal height is 2' or 3', depending on the amount of wall space you have available between your windows and other design elements, like light fixtures.
2 Ways to Add Plants
To add live plants to your plant wall, you need to either add small shelves that hold the planters or attach containers directly to your living wall. If you’re using hard flower pots, like terra cotta or plastic, shelves are ideal. Just make sure the bases of the planters fit securely on the shelves to prevent tip-overs. If you have any concerns about the plants tipping, wrap a piece of pretty ribbon or jute string around the center of the pot. Then, staple or glue the ends to the base of the shelf.
To attach flexible containers to the living wall, make pouches from canvas scraps or polypropylene feed sacks. Make sure the top edge is folded under and top-stitched to give the pouches extra durability. Line the pouches up so the sides are touching, and leave a few inches of space between each row. Staple or nail the pouches to the backboard of your DIY vertical garden. The pouches need to be big enough to hold the root ball of the plants and some extra soil. Put the soil and plants in the pouches and lightly mist with water from a spray bottle or lightly water plants from a glass of water.
How to Make a Living Plant Wall for the Kitchen
Start by selecting your favorite herbs to cook with when putting together a kitchen plant wall. If you have a lot of wall space, put the taller herbs like basil, chives and coriander on the lower rows with plenty of space in between. If your wall space is at a premium, place taller plants in large planters on your patio or countertop. Plant shorter herbs like peppermint and thyme on the upper rows. When you’re cooking or making a dispenser of fresh mint iced tea, all you have to do is grab a sprig of fresh herbs to get the flavor just right.
Plant Walls as Natural Air Fresheners
Plants are natural air fresheners as well! This makes a living wall a great addition to the bath. Dracaena and aloe are great options for the bath because they love the extra humidity from a shower. Choose your favorite style of plant wall to make, and add plants that add a blend of fresh green foliage and lightly scented flowers. Position the plants to reflect in the mirror for maximum impact. Then, add a set of LED pillar candles to your vanity for extra ambience.
How to Use Your Living Plant Wall to Light Up a Dark Space
When you want the natural look of a living wall in a room that tends to be dark, start with plants that do well in low light, like a spider plant or a small fern. Make the shelf style wall you want, and mount it in front of a large wall mirror. When you’re arranging the planters on the shelves, leave a few inches of space between each plant. For a bright, finishing touch, add a few votive-style LED candles between the plants.