How To Build a Living Wall Pocket Garden
Many of the living walls featured in my book, Grow a Living Wall; Create Vertical Gardens with Purpose, are focused on pre-made systems. Yet a few are homemade systems built with a bit of creativity and modeled into something that will work just for the purposes you need them for. This is one such garden, created as an aromatic therapeutic fabric pocket garden that can be mobile if you would like. It is charming and absolutely perfect for small areas like gates, doors, and feature areas. Excerpts from my book are below – showing you how to make it yourself.
HOW TO BUILD A LIVING WALL FABRIC POCKET GARDEN
Tools needed –
- 4 to 6 Mini Woolly Pocket Wally Garden Wall Pockets
- Threaded rods, 3/8”, Wing nuts, 3/8”, and Standard nuts, 3/8”
- Tape measure, Hack saw, Wire cutter, Pliers, and Spray paint (optional)
- Container soil [such as Organic Mechanics Soil]
- Organic Fertilizer
Herb and decorative plants [I used Creeping Jenny and mixed herbs from J.W. Jung Seed Company .]- Trowel or spoon
Project How To –
- Measure the height of gate, door, or wall area to confirm length of chain needed.
- Measure threaded rods and cut rods at an even length so that each rod can be threaded through the mini wally fastening hole on the sides of the wally to act as a support.
- (Optional) – Place cut rods, wing nuts, and standard nuts flat and paint. Let dry.
- Lay out the mini wally’s on the ground one on top of the other, making sure the wally’s fit within the area they’ll hang.
- Screw standard nuts onto threaded rods, screwing down about 1 ½”.
- Lay the black jack chain around the edge of the mini wally’s on the ground, giving extra chain at the top in order to use it as the hanging area.
- Use the wire cutters to cut the extra chain off at the bottom of the display.
- Measure the area between fastening holes so that all sides are even.
- Starting at the bottom of the chain, gently pry open the chain with the pliers and place the rod with the nut to the inside of the chain.
- Re-crimp with pliers to close the chain link.
- Screw wing nut on to the rod to the outside of the chain.
- Tighten gently.
- (Optional) – Touch up spray paint.
- Repeat process for each side of every wally, making sure nuts are evenly placed so that wally’s hang evenly.
- Hang the mobile mini wally unit on fence or gate, dropping the chain around the top of the fence to act as a support.
- Measure in an appropriate amount of organic fertilizer into a bucket of soil; mix well.
- Fill mini wally’s with planting soil.
- Plant scented herbs and flowers in the pockets.
- Water well.
- Move mobile garden as needed or keep it as a permanent location.
Want more ideas and how-to’s for how you can grow all types of living wall gardens, not just a living wall pocket garden? Then hurry and get my book – Grow a Living Wall; Create Vertical Gardens with Purpose. Thanks for your support!
Please assist me in finding a site to order tracks and brackets for wall garden on page 85 of your book. The online product resources listed on page 152 did not help with this.
Hi @Susie Smith – those tracks and brackets should COME WITH the system. They are included with the units. If you have ordered the units and have not received the tracks and brackets, please call the company as they need to send them to you. Thanks Susie!
How much do all the things you use in this project cost? I mean I know you get it for free but if I’d like to replicate it myself, how much do I have to shell out approximately? Been thinking how to decorate my bare backyard door. I think this one is the right answer. Thanks!
Actually, I don’t get everything for free. I spent less than $12 on the hardware for this which you could get at any large hardware store. If you clicked through to the links it takes you directly to the products with pricing, so you can check pricing on a regular basis, however the Mini-Wally pockets cost $18 each. They sometimes have sales – you should get on their mailing list or you could make your own pockets for less. Plant and soil pricing depends on what you have on hand at home and if you grow plants from seeds or not. In the past, if I’ve had a tight budget, I’ve found a way to make projects like this from found materials or recycled materials so as to lower the cost. Best of luck to you — I love the idea that you’re decorating your backyard door!
How do you avoid the water from running down the door and eventually affecting the wood when watering the plants? They look great!