Levelled Up Landscaping: 6 Ways To Add Vertical Space To Your Garden

If you live in a townhouse, unit or apartment, chances are you are no stranger to a lack of garden space. While a sprawling backyard was once the norm, inner-city living has led our gardens to slowly, but surely, start to shrink. To combat this phenomenon, vertical gardens have soared in popularity over the last few years, as space-starved gardeners look for clever ideas to help them make the most of their limited garden space. 

If your horticultural ambitions are bigger than your plot, you’ve come to the perfect place.Today, we share 6 ways to add vertical space to your garden, in a bid to make the most of every inch of your outdoor space. Read on to find out more! 

• Add A Wall Water Feature

Were you under the impression that you need a huge garden for a water feature? Well, think again. If you’re looking to inject some zen into your home garden (especially if you live in the inner city), look no further than a wall water feature. Outdoor water fountains have many benefits, including creating a peaceful ambience and drowning out the noise of the outside world. Since many people use their garden as a place for rest or relaxation, having an outdoor fountain can be an excellent idea for anyone looking to upgrade their outdoor space with minimum effort and maximum impact. Moreover, aside from providing a stunning focal point, your wall water feature is also a fantastic way of providing individuality to your landscape and may even attract chirping birds, butterflies, animals, and greenery to bring you closer to nature. We can’t think of anything better! 

• Consider Hydro Stackers

If you have a green thumb and love all things gardening, you may be interested in growing your own organic produce in the comfort of your own home garden. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to have a ton of space to make this dream a reality, especially when you consider looking into stackable hydroponic gardening systems. Also commonly referred to as a ‘hydro stack’, this is a low fuss, low maintenance alternative to traditional gardening and requires zero soil, making it much easier to grow a variety of different plants, veggies, fruits and herbs with nothing but water and a simple nutrient solution. 

Most importantly, with hydro stackers, you can increase your fruit and vegetable output while decreasing the amount of garden space you need — perfect for townhouses, units or even apartment balconies. Grow radishes, lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, herbs and just about any plant from your garden while using just a few square feet.

• Create A Herb Wall On Your Fence

If hydroponic gardening isn’t quite your thing, fret not, for there is yet another vertical gardening option that is guaranteed to help you develop your green thumb. If you have a fence, a wall or even just a balcony railing, you already have everything you need to create an impressively lush living wall. In simpler terms, a living wall is just any vertical structure that has different types of plants or other greenery attached to it. One of the most common uses for a fence or a wall is to grow a variety of different herbs in small planters, grow pots or cut out plastic bottles by simply attaching them to an existing structure from wires strung from a frame. If you are willing to spend a bit extra, you could even invest in modular plastic panels or reservoir systems to keep your little herb garden healthy and happy. With a herb wall, you can grow anything from parsley, basil, coriander, mint and a wide variety of other herbs that you can easily cut off and add to delicious dishes in the kitchen. It’s really that simple! 

• Plant A Tree For Privacy

Trees can be tricky to fit into small spaces, but luckily, there is an ingenious method called ‘pleaching’ that will allow you to plant a tree for privacy in your backyard or garden. By definition, the pleaching technique is a style of growing trees in a line with their branches tied together to form a plane above the trunk. This means that you can train your trees to give vertical interest in a uniform and controlled way without worrying that your tree will quickly take over the garden or start creeping into your neighbour’s property. 

Among the best varieties for small gardens which work for pleaching include Japanese Privet, Cherry Laurel,  and Photinia x Fraseri  – these evergreens will provide maximum privacy all year round. Some other options include apple trees, pear trees, olive trees, maple, lime and chestnut.

Top Tip: In paved gardens or courtyards, an alternative option is to select a tree that can happily grow in a pot or container, such as the Japanese Maple. 

• Have A Trellis Planter For Climbers

Climbing plants such as bougainvillaeas and banksia roses are often grown in gardens for their stunning flowers, foliage, scent or even fruit. Many people choose climbing plants for the garden not just because they look good, but also because they are a fantastic way to make use of vertical space, especially in small gardens and balconies. They can be used to form screen walls and fences to provide shelter from the sun, or even intentionally grown on a trellis planter for an extraordinary focal point that really makes a statement. If you are considering growing some climbing flowers or plants on a trellis, be sure to attach the vines to your trellis with twine, garden tape, or even old shoe strings as your plant grows. Over time, you can train your vines to create spectacular shapes and displays in your garden that are sure to leave your neighbours green with envy! 

Learn more about how you can plant climbers in your garden here. 

• Take The Lighting Up A Notch

Last but not least, we can’t ignore the role that good lighting plays in even the smallest of gardens or backyards. If you are dealing with a small plot, one of the best ways to make your space appear larger is to take your lighting up a notch or two by placing your festoon or fairy lights up high. Generally, we suggest stringing them as high up on your fence or wall as you can and your garden will appear both wider and taller — think of it as vertical gardening, but with lights. Aside from gorgeous illumination and the illusion of a larger space, garden lighting offers a wide variety of benefits including added safety, increased security, and the perfect opportunity to highlight your landscaping efforts. So, the next time you’re thinking of including some new lighting options to your garden, think upwards instead of outwards! 

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And there you have it — 6 expert-approved ways of adding vertical space to even the tiniest of gardens. At the end of the day, it’s all about thinking out of the box and finding ingenious ways to maximise every inch of your outdoor space. As they say, size doesn’t matter! 

What are some of your favourite ways to add vertical or outdoor space to your garden? We’d love to hear your ideas, so be sure to leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section below!