How to Design a Living Wall at Home

Chicago-based author and blogger Shawna Coronado thinks it's time for gardeners to grow up. Her book, Grow A Living Wall: Create Vertical Gardens With Purpose, explains how to grow a "mini-farm" that yields a big harvest. Gardening on a small footprint is an easy way to grow fresh, nutritious foods and fabulous flowers, she says. "The math is simple - take the traditional square foot garden of one to 16 plants and then duplicate it and go up. Thirty-five + plants will grab only one square foot of floor space. The higher the system, the more the harvest."

Vertical gardens may let you grow hundreds of plants in limited space. Living walls also have the added benefit of being nearly weed-free and exceptionally easy to maintain, says author Shawna Coronado. She uses them as lovely, organic, healthful solutions for small areas.

While herbs, vegetables, and plants for pollinators are ideal for sunny spots, you can also grow a living wall in shade. "This vista shows a shady, damp side yard with fern and moss living walls," says Coronado. Finding the right living wall system and plants for your unique growing conditions will help you succeed, she adds.

Green wall gardens, says Coronado, have the same basic needs as traditional gardens grown in containers. Look for the right container, the right location, and the right plants for your space. Planting in less than 2 square feet, she says, "offers an astounding amount of garden ideas for small space or urban or balcony growers."