A wall isn’t just something that surrounds your garden – it’s a structure filled with potential for growing and decoration. Here’s our guide to making the most of a garden wall:
Depending on its appearance, a garden wall can be rustic and beautiful or a bit of an eyesore. But, either way, you can incorporate it into your garden, creating growing opportunities and providing a decorative feature. In a small garden, making the most of a wall expands your options, giving you more growing space.
A traditional brick wall looks particularly beautiful with plants growing up against it. Meanwhile, it’s easy to disguise an unattractive wall by choosing climbing plants or wall shrubs to hide the wall behind. Good choices include clematis, roses, wisteria and honeysuckle. Growing plants against a wall is also a great way to provide food and shelter for pollinating insects and will encourage bees and butterflies into your garden.
If you don’t want to grow climbing plants, there are other options when it comes to growing on a wall. You can find a whole host of planters online that can be attached to a wall, giving you the opportunity to grow smaller flowers, plants, herbs and soft fruits such as strawberries.
The great thing about wall planting is that your plants can be placed at eye level so you won’t need to bend down to tend to your crops. This means wall gardening can be incredibly beneficial for people with mobility problems. The other benefit of growing vegetables on a wall is that they have more chance of being protected from pests such as slugs and snails.
You could even create a living wall and cover every inch of the wall with vertical planters holding different herbs. The smell and colours will create a dramatic effect every time you step into the garden.
Of course, you might not want to include plants on your wall at all. But there are still lots of ways you can make it an interesting feature in your garden. Perhaps commission a local artist to paint a mural – or experiment with different outdoor paints to create your own designs. Alternatively, add interest with outdoor artwork or sculptures. You can find everything from mosaic tiles to wall-mounted water features to jazz up a boring wall.
If your garden is small and dark, outdoor lights or a garden mirror attached to the wall can transform the space by adding much needed light.
Traditional or contemporary, natural or man-made, there are lots of different design schemes you can use to bring interest to a garden wall. Don’t feel that you must repair a wall that is slightly dilapidated; as long as it’s safe and structurally sound a wonky wall can create a romantic and rustic feel in your garden – particularly if you complement the brickwork with pretty flowers, herbs or shrubs.
A wall also makes a great project for children. Why not make your own bug hotel to provide a home for wildlife? Take a look online to find instructions. Or then add a bird box to your garden wall and have fun spotting the different birds that visit your garden.