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You don’t have enough space in your apartment but you want to plant some plants? Vertical gardens are the perfect solution for you. In this article, we are bringing you 15 best plants for your vertical garden.
However, you do not know which plants to plant, we will help you here because not all plants are ideal for vertical gardens and their types. Best plants for vertical gardens are Ferns, Birds Nest Fern, Bromeliads, Pothos/golden pothos/devil’s ivy, Hosta, Lipstick plant, Dracaena, Succulents, Crotons, Baby’s tears, Cucumbers, Pumpkins, Tall tomatoes, Melon, Strawberries.
If you would like to find out the best ways to grow these plants continue reading our article because we’ll bring you in-depth solutions and suggestions so you can easily choose the right plant for you, and if you would like to know more about vertical gardens we have an article with everything you need to know about vertical gardens.
15 Best Plants for Vertical Garden
Ferns
House fern is increasingly used as an ornamental plant, and with its specific appearance gives a touch of freshness to every home. Fern is a specific plant that belongs to the group of the oldest plants in the world. Although we distinguish many types of ferns, one of the most famous is home ferns. To get to know her even better, we bring you everything you didn’t know about this popular herb.
Home fern is characterized by the fact that it has no stems, but its leaves grow directly from the ground. For anyone planning to grow this fern at home, it is important that they adopt a few basic rules. The most important thing to know is that home fern is best suited to places without direct sun.
It will best thrive in a semi-shady spot in the apartment, preferably some corner of the room away from the radiator or climate. It is also a good idea to avoid ferns near windows or doors that open continuously to create drafts. House ferns require high humidity, which is why it is not enough to only water it, but it needs to be sprayed regularly as well, especially in summer.
The minimum temperature for the growth and development of this plant is about 59 °F.
Birds Nest Fern
It is named after the leaves: they stand upwards and slowly lower downwards, forming a rosette so that the whole plant looks like a bird’s nest. Although different from other ferns, the maintenance of this plant is the same as that of other ferns. It feels best in warm, humid places. It loves acidic soil and will be grateful if you pour it with rainwater in the summer and spray the leaves. It likes semi-shade and medium warm air. It is sensitive to winter.
Bromeliads
Bromelia houseplant is a plant that grows up to half a meter and is adorned with a wide range of colors. There are about 2000 species of bromeliad in the world. Bromelia houseplant will give the first flower only after a few years.
The flower is bright in color and will last about three months. Simultaneously with the flowering of Bromelia, the houseplant begins to slowly decay. Bromelia house plants tolerate temperatures from 44.5 to 86 °F, and because the plant originates from tropical regions, it is important to ensure a warm and humid room.
The Bromelia houseplant requires regular watering and the soil in the flowerbed should never be dry. In addition to regular watering, Bromelia should be sprayed once a day. If you are transplanting the plant, do it in the spring by transplanting it individually into smaller pots to make it easier to root.
Pothos/golden pothos/devil’s ivy
The golden pothos or devil’s ivy and its cultivation have been extended to many homes, and what is best when cultivating the golden pothos is that it purifies the air in the home perfectly. Golden pothos is a plant that many have in their home, and most of all because it is very grateful for cultivation and maintenance.
Once it begins to grow, you can only transplant it and decorate your entire home with it or donate it further. Pothos is a houseplant, a climber, which has green leaves with distinct yellow patterns. These yellow patterns depend on the degree of light the plant receives. It is also known by the name Devil’s ivy.
The position that the golden pothos needs for cultivation are semi-shadow and the soil must be clear and moist. But it is still preferable to make it a place with more light since the leaves will thus have more patterns on it. It is propagated by cuttings that we put in water and wait for it to release its roots. The golden creeper is very sensitive to winter.
Hosta
Hosta is a resistant perennial with attractive leaves. Thanks to many cultivars, she became highly sought for shady garden positions. The broad, heart-shaped leaves come in variations of green, gray, blue, yellow or white, and yellow or white trimmed. Some cultivars grow up to three feet in height and more than five feet in width.
The flowers are white or purple in color on tall stems that protrude from the center of the rosy shrub. Depending on the cultivar, they appear from June to October and last several weeks. Hosta is not a demanding plant and will thrive well in any garden soil with good water permeability. Although it is a shade plant, it will enjoy some sunshine in positions that are exposed to the morning sun.
It propagates by dividing the plant in the spring, but unlike some perennials, it does not need to be distributed every year. Hosta is planted individually or in groups of several plants on flowerbeds, in larger cultivation vessels, and along water surfaces. It is massively planted as a blanket of soil beneath the broad canopy of trees whose roots and shade make it difficult to grow grassland.
Its beauty is often disturbed with snails by eating leaves, so look for them in the plantation and pre-empt protection measures.
Lipstick plant
It is a perennial, flowering and very decorative plant. It belongs to a group of flowering houseplants, in dropping form, with fleshy, glossy-leathery leaves and tubule-like flowers (in different shades of red).
It blooms profusely, at the tips of the branches. In the summer, it can be brought outside, but should not be kept in direct sunlight. In winter, she loves a very bright spot. During the whole year, it waters once a week. Likes irrigation (humidity) several times during the week.
It can be transplanted each spring, but only for one size larger pot. Since it is a falling form, it is advisable to plant it in a hanging pot. In terms of nutrition – it is applied with liquid fertilizer for flowering plants – in the period from May to September every 15 days, while in the rest of the period it is sufficient once a month.
It is preferable not to move when buds form, as they could fall off. In the spring, the ends of the stem can be pruned to achieve better branching. There are multiple varieties of this plant – but they are all maintained the same way.
Dracena
It is perfect for growing indoors, is extremely resilient, and can only be ruined by extreme neglect of its water needs. We often see her in hotels and offices.
Wherever it is planted, this plant will find a way to adapt to the inhospitable conditions such spaces can offer – dry air, infrequent watering, lack of light, and generally minimal care for development and growth. Only extreme neglect of its water needs can ruin it, but it is a resilient plant, so it happens that in these situations it also recovers and comes back to life.
For indoor cultivation, especially for office space, species such as dracaena fragrans or dracaena tricolor are often grown, which look very decorative, but in addition to being resilient, they also have the ability to purify the air
Indoor plants tolerate climatic conditions in residential and office spaces very well, given that they are native to the tropics. High air temperatures and lack of natural light are not a problem for them. However, in order to survive, one must meet the minimum basic life requirements. Therefore, it is necessary to find a good ratio of light to ventilation for each plant as this will greatly affect their ability to purify the air.
Succulent
These plants are extremely durable and can be water-free for a while, but ideally in high humidity rooms. They need a lot of indirect light and like to have space, so be sure to plant them in slightly larger jars. Water them once a week and keep at 72 °F.
Crotons
Crotons are one of the most widespread houseplants, and yet it is relatively rarely grown. Many varieties of this plant have been grown and all have distinct yellow ribbed patterns that are interconnected in vibrant colors. Glossy leaves of incredible colors, different shapes, and sizes make the croton flower magnificent. For many, the crotons are one of their favorite indoor plants.
For successful cultivation, it requires maintaining the same temperature at all times of the year, and croton is also one of the few indoor plants that need a bright position in the apartment. Therefore, it is important to provide the plant with enough light, because the more light there is, the more beautiful the color of its leaves will be. Croton can even stand in the sun, but not all day.
If the plant has good growing conditions it can grow for years, while beginners who are not so skilled in growing houseplants consider the croton flower to be a short-lived pot.
Baby’s tears
Baby’s tears, also known as Soleirolia soleirolii, is a plant that is often grown as an ornament of our apartments, houses, and offices. Today, there are many selected plants with different leaf colors, from light green, dark green to silver and gold.
Soleirolia can be grown at home, terrarium, and covers the surface of the pot when growing bonsai. In areas where winters are not harsh, it is also grown outdoors. It is an excellent cover for garden paths and rocky shores of garden ponds. Seeks good light but not direct sun exposure. Shady places suit her. It grows well by the window facing north. It does not withstand dry air and sometimes needs to be sprayed.
Not a fan of direct watering either. In the spring and summer, it requires more watering and more moderate in winter. It is best watered by adding water to the plate of the pot. It also requires an appropriate temperature of about 59°F for its growth and development. The temperature should not exceed 77°F or fall below 46°F.
Cucumbers
In both cases (direct sowing and transplanting), cucumbers can be grown with support. Branches are commonly used as support, and more recently, a plastic mesh of large openings. Setting cucumber support allows it to grow in height, which provides numerous benefits.
This makes it easier to harvest because most fruits are within easy reach, most of the above ground mass is not lying on the ground, so there is greater aeration between the plants which reduces the onset of disease and a higher yield on the same surface.
In vertical cultivation, the main boil is guided along a branch, binder, or net until it reaches the intended height. All laterals and flowers up to 160 to 230 inches in height are removed regularly to strengthen the main helix, which then allows the development of lateral heights that are also directed in height. The omission of this measure results in overgrowth of vegetative mass at the bottom of the plant, which reduces yields and impedes harvesting.
Pumpkins
Similar to cucumbers they can be grown vertical. The stem of the pumpkin is overgrown with hairs and generally does not branch, and grows on the ground in the form of boils. There are large leaves on the stem that grows on long petioles.
Pumpkin planting is done between April and July. The seeds are first sown indoors and then transplanted into the open in late May. If you want to immediately shine the pumpkin, then do it in June, when the danger of frosts ceases.
Although the pumpkin is a creeper and growing on the ground, you can also provide it with vertical support so that it can climb. Later, when larger pumpkins make it difficult to hold, place them in a potato sack and tie them up for support so they don’t fall off.
Tall tomatoes
Tomatoes, by type of growth, are divided into short and tall varieties. The tall ones must be grown with support, and they should remove lateral shoots during the growth period. They grow extremely fast, creating blooms. Removing the shoots allows them to grow evenly.
Tomatoes are considered to be a very demanding plant, which can be seen when growing seedlings or sowing. Their preservation requires a minimum temperature of 51.8°F. The optimum temperature is as high as 77°F, and it usually takes between 5 and 15 days from sowing to the first shoots (depending on the variety). The seedlings must later be transplanted into larger pots, or into the garden.
Melon
Melon is a plant that belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and should, therefore, be considered a vegetable. However, many consider melon to be fruit. It blooms in early summer and is harvested in the fall.
Growing can be on the ground or on the armature or vertical cultivation. Cuttings are cropped above the third or fourth leaf, and in vertical cultivation, the leaf and side branches should be removed at a height of 23 inches from the ground. This encourages better development of the lateral branches, but also larger fruit to prevent the fruit from bursting due to weight and separation from the stem, in the diameter of 6 inches stands into separate mesh bags that bind to the structure.
Strawberries
Strawberries thrive in every garden and even in the sandboxes on the window board. This small perennial plant gives birth profusely, especially for the first three years, and you can successfully replant it later. Namely, strawberries develop boils, new small plants, which in the early fall plant and already in the second year they bear fruit.
If you are planting them for the first time, get a few shrubs in a good nursery, but according to space, and plant a distance of about 8 inches. Cultivate the soil well, water should not stand, even though they like moist. Fertilize them preferably with manure. Water regularly. The optimum planting time is early autumn and in spring, but not later than May, because early varieties are already harvested. When planting, keep an eye on the depth, the heart of the plant must be above ground, otherwise, it will rot.
Strawberries in a barrel
Use an old barrel, wooden bucket or specially made earthen pots with openings. Make a batch of holes about two inches wide by 6-8 inches apart on a bowl. Drill the bottom of the barrel and place it on four bricks.
Strawberries are best suited to a sunny location, and in order to achieve good air circulation, the container should be moved at least 20 inches from the wall.