The No-Fuss Way To Hack A Beautiful Living Wall

If you are looking for ideas to spice up a blank wall, then a living wall could be the solution you need. Living walls, also called plant walls or vertical gardens, are a great way to add color and interest to a plain space, and they are associated with benefits like air purification, increased well-being, and improved acoustics. This design consists of plants carefully placed on a wall, fence, or other vertical surface to create a stunning accent wall feature. Living walls can work both indoors and outdoors, and there are endless ways to customize them by changing the density, placement, and variety of the plants used. However, caring for a living wall can get complicated. Many designs feature plants that are crowded together and difficult to access, making it tough to remove or replace plants when necessary. Watering, pruning, and fertilization can also get complicated. 

If you want a living wall in your space without all of the problems they can bring, then using terracotta pots is the perfect solution for you. For this no-fuss way to hack a beautiful living wall, rather than filling your wall completely with plants, you will hang terracotta pots in a pattern of your choice and fill them with plants. You will get the look and even some of the benefits of a vertical garden, but using an arrangement of terracotta pots will allow you to easily access and care for each plant individually. Plus, this gardening hack makes your dream of a living wall simple to achieve.

For this décor hack, you will need a suitable wall, pots and a means to hang them, and the right types of plants. The wall surface should be structurally sound enough to hold the weight of numerous terracotta pots. It also needs to receive enough sunlight to support your plants. Then, you need to gather your planters. Terracotta planters have a sturdy and rustic look, making them a great option for this project. However, they can also be quite heavy. If you want the look but are concerned about the extra weight on your wall, you can consider using plastic planters as well. Then, carefully and securely attach the planters to the wall. You can place them in neat rows or in a random pattern for a more eclectic result. You can also use planters of different colors and sizes for a more varied look.

Once you have your plan, you can choose plants. Start by considering the plants that will work in a vertical garden. Then, think about the style you want to cultivate. Plants with long hanging vines are the perfect choice for this style of living wall because the hanging leaves will help fill out the spaces between the planters. Some options that are easy to care for include pothos (Epipremnum aureum), English ivy (Hedera helix), creeping fig (Ficus pumila), and string of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus). Mix in some colorful florals, and you will have a beautiful feature wall that is far easier to care for than regular living walls.

While this project makes a living wall significantly more convenient and attainable, there are still some common problems to look out for while caring for the plants. After all, even a vertical garden requires gardening. Luckily for experienced gardeners, the common issues with living walls are not very different from typical gardening. First, it is important that all of the planters have effective drainage holes. The water from higher plants will drip down, and you do not want too much water to accumulate in the lower pots and cause issues like root rot. Just like water may move from plant to plant during watering, so may pests like mites and fungi, depending on how close together the plants are. Remove planters that have issues and treat them away from the wall to keep the other plants healthy.

Finally, make sure that all of your terracotta pots are very secure on the wall or other vertical surface. Terracotta pots are quite fragile, and a fall could break not only the unsecured planter but also all of the planters that are hit on the way down. Along with being breakable, terracotta pots are made from a porous material that can release moisture from the soil quicker than other types of pots, so be thoughtful about your watering schedule. If you decide to give this beautiful vertical gardening hack a try, definitely take the time to learn some tips for gardening with terracotta pots so you can keep your plants happy.