The beauty and benefits of vertical gardens

With the median cost of buying a house in Australia up 6.8 per cent to a whopping $571,500, the great Australian dream of owning a home on a quarter-acre block is fast becoming unobtainable for so many of us.

However, this terrifying pricing trend explains only partially our nation-wide boom in apartment living. In fact, the ever-increasing price of houses in Australia must be combined with the global trend of smaller families and a desire to live in city areas rather than suburbs or, more traditionally, outlying country areas.

The resulting picture is a record-breaking growth in the purchasing of, but also building of high-density housing and, while that’s a good thing for the building industry and the economy as a whole (though, perhaps, not home-buyers), it come at a cost, the biggest of which is that a whole generation is growing up with a whole lot less space than their parents and grandparents and very little contact with nature – or not contact at all.

But they don’t have to.

What is a vertical garden?

One of the benefits brought about by Australia’s apartment obsession is the advent of the vertical garden, which is, essentially, a living wall.

Though the concept of a vertical garden isn’t new – vertical gardens have been documented as far back as 290BC when Babylonians wrote about Nebuchadnezzar II’s fabled Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world – the art and science of vertical gardens has been refined markedly over the past 20 years, and optimised to allow modern apartment dwellers to enjoy the benefits of a garden even if they don’t have the space or money to grow one.

All you need is a blank wall/fence or a little horizontal space – and you can have a garden filed with greenery, flowers or, even, fruit and vegetables!

What are the benefits of a vertical garden?

Aesthetic

The benefits of a vertical garden aren’t purely aesthetic, but the ability to soften what is, typically, a sparse and stark-looking space with greenery is definitely one of the greatest bonuses.

You may have a million-dollar view (or no view at all) from your apartment, but there is something unbeatably soothing about being surrounded by nature – or, at the very least, having a green space to look upon from your bed or sofa – or even the kitchen sink!

It’s simply not a feeling or experience that can be replaced by the most realistic of artificial plants, the most skilled and beautiful of paintings or even that million-dollar view of your city’s skyline.

The best bit is that you can enjoy a vertical garden no matter how small a space you have to work with.

We’ve installed vertical gardens in spaces ranging from a few metres to giant open spaces in the sky and, because we’re experts in vertical gardens, our plants will thrive no matter high up you live and no matter how harsh the sun and wind conditions may be.

Knowing where your food comes from and cost savings

One of the benefits of any garden, vertical or otherwise, is that it allows you to grow your own food. Obviously, what food you grow and how much depends on the space you have available, but just because you live in an apartment doesn’t mean you can’t do the same.

Vertical gardens allow apartment dwellers to grow and control their food supply and know exactly what is in their fruit and veggies. They can also, potentially, save money by doing so, certainly enough to pay for the cost of building and installing their vertical garden, which makes economic sense, or should that be ‘cents’?

Though vertical gardens, which are available in DIY versions as well as professionally-installed versions, are surprisingly affordable, why not recoup the original investment if you can?

Growing your own herbs and vegetables (tomatoes and beans are among our favourites) also allows you to save money at the checkout and, well, it’s better that money is in your pocket rather than the supermarkets’.

It’s fuss-free

You don’t have to be a green thumb to enjoy a vertical garden. In fact, our vertical gardens are designed for your exact circumstances and levels of free time. If you’re someone who loves to potter around with plants, we can create a space that needs a little TLC, allowing you to maintain it at your leisure and for your pleasure.

But, if you’re someone who just wants a thriving green space without the hassle of having to maintain it with too much effort, we can create such a space just as easily. It really depends on what you want.

Environmental benefits
Vertical gardens offer a sustainable green solution that allows urban dwellers to contribute to the health of the environment – and maximise the smallest of spaces – even if they think they don’t have the option to do so.

Even the smallest or most compact of vertical gardens drinks in carbon dioxide, playing its part in purifying the air, offsetting carbon emissions and, potentially, reducing pollutants in your immediate area.

A little privacy, please…

A number of our customers use vertical gardens to cover over (or just camouflage entirely) the see-through glass screens that act as partitions on the balconies of many modern apartment buildings.

Vertical gardens provide a practical, affordable and natural means for adding a little privacy to your balcony or even for disguising an eyesore or ugly space, such as that created by a bulky air conditioner or storage area.

Oh, and you can relax and enjoy your private spaces – without your neighbours watching your every move!

So, whether you choose to live in Australia’s growing concrete jungle – or you are forced to due to the explosive cost of Australia’s housing market – you do not have to sacrifice experiencing the joy of being surrounded by greenery.

Vertical gardens provide an affordable, environmentally friendly and downright beautiful solution for those yearning for a little ‘green’ – no matter how much or how little space their apartment has.