When garden space is limited, grow up! These vertical gardening ideas share ways to make the most of the space you have and define outdoor living areas with arbors, repurposed ladders, hanging containers, and more.
Also, 25+ Creative Ideas for Garden Fences shares ways to dress up boring fences and exterior walls.

12 Vertical Gardening Ideas

While the term vertical gardening is trendy these days, it’s a good idea that’s been around for decades.
There are many benefits including maximizing growing space, improving privacy, and artistic interest.
These ideas should give you plenty of inspiration.

1 Arbor, Trellis, & Obelisk Idea Gallery
A collection of ideas from home garden tours showing a variety of vertical garden structures.

This tutorial shows how to create a picture frame succulent garden to hang on a wall or fence.

3 Make an Outdoor Wall Plant Shelf
This easy project looks gorgeous with some potted plants to dress it up.

I made this for outdoor plants but ended up using it indoors in the winter for houseplants as well.

5 Make a Garden Arbor Planter Perfect for Strawberries
I love this project. It’s an arbor with built-in planters for trailing plants like strawberries.

6 Use Old Ladders in the Garden
Old wooden ladders always look great in the garden.

7 How to Make a Flower Garden Roof or Wall
Use this smart idea to create flower roof tops on a doghouse, birdhouse, shed, or small greenhouse.

8 Create a Raised Bed with Built-in Privacy Wall
I built this in my garden and it transformed the space, adding much needed privacy and creating new growing opportunities.

9 How to Grow a Sweet Pea Garden Arch
Start this project early in the season and you’ll have a gorgeous flower arch by summer.

10 Freestanding Privacy Screen with (Bonus!) Bug Hotel
This is another privacy wall in my garden. I built the bug hotels to house collections of twigs, bark, and whatnots.

11 Make Hanging Flower Pot Shelves
These look great next to a patio to display plants and define the space.

12 How to Make a Water Wall for a Container Pond
I saw this on a garden tour and thought it was so smart.
Here’s a bonus idea. If your structure can handle it, how about a succulent roof?


Listen
Book

Vertical Vegetables
Simple Projects that Deliver More Yield in Less Space
by Amy Andrychowicz
Vertical Vegetables is the secret to making the most of your space; when you grow upward rather than outward, you will double or triple the yield from your small-space garden.
And that’s it!
I hope you’re ready to grow up. In the best possible planty way!
~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛