THE WALL THAT GROWS

Purnima Sharma 

When Shraddha Sood first saw the government flat assigned to her, her heart sank “because I felt I was bidding adieu to my dream of a little garden full of flowers and herbs,” says the 31-year-old accounts executive. Space-challenged is how she laughingly refers to her little den. But, determined to work things around, she found a way out. Today she has a vertical garden in her balcony. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” states Sood, whose little wall garden is now the cynosure of all eyes.

For the uninitiated, a vertical garden is a method by which you grow plants on walls or a vertical space. It entails plants growing in a vertical area with nutrient water flowing down to feed the roots through a special irrigation system. Although the concept is found in nature and goes back several centuries, it’s being ‘rediscovered’ lately by landscape artistes and architects.

“In our times, when land is a luxury, terrace, balcony and vertical gardens offer a perfect solution,” says Delhi-based architect Vinit Khanna. “Wherever there is a space crunch, the only way to greenery is through a vertical garden. We need to energise this concept a lot more,” adds the ‘green’ architect.

It was in a corporate house that Sood had seen a “beautiful green patch” which she thought was made of artificial leaves. A closer look revealed it wasn’t. She replicated the idea in her balcony. 

“On a tall wooden frame, I hung about 20 pots with a variety of plants. My vertical garden not only looks good, it also exudes positivity. I find tending to the plants very therapeutic.” And now, many of Sood’s neighbours, too, have joined the bandwagon. From keeping just a potted plant or two, they too have decorated their balcony areas with plants in plastic containers and geo-felt bags mounted on the walls.

Having seen this concept in different parts of the world, Suhela Kapoor mulled over the idea of having a vertical garden in her house for a while. “When I finally decided to go in for it, the idea was two-fold — “making use of as much space one has in the most optimum manner possible, and secondly, to cover the ugly water tanks on the roof of our house”, laughs the neuro-scientist. And now, her garden wall boasts of a beautiful mix of plants in shades of purple, yellow and varied hues of greens. 

“My concern was that the plants must be hardy and yes, be indigenous for our weather,” says Kapoor, who never ceases to get thrilled at the “refreshing vistas” her garden wall offers every time she looks at it. “More than myself, I did it for my father who has always been fond of plants — it’s my gift for him,” she smiles.

“Shrinking urban spaces are forcing people to create such green pockets in their homes,” says Piyush Saini of Sanjay Tropical Gardens, who has been offering vertical gardens that come with a complete installation for automated irrigation.

“This entails a special soil and an automatic watering of plants. And it needs just a periodic changing of batteries, besides, of course, regular monitoring,” he informs. But for anyone who plans to have a garden wall, Saini insists it be done only by those who love plants — “because only then will they respond to you well and look good”.

One of the prerequisites of a vertical garden, according to Vikram Dhillon, is a wall that gets a good amount of sunlight. The co-founder of Lawnkart, set up by three engineers from Noida in 2013, remembers how their initial business centered mainly around potted plants. “And now, the focus is shifting a great deal to vertical gardening — with the younger lot moving into NCR homes that have a tremendous space crunch opting for them. This is their way of combating pollution and doing their bit for the environment,” he states and goes on to add, “We’ve often been told how the area housing the garden wall becomes these couples’ personal retreat.” Dr Manoj Gupta, whose house in Firozabad boasts of three garden walls, agrees wholeheartedly. “I have my morning cuppa just admiring their beauty,” he says remembering how the initial plan for his terrace garden included a vertical wall with a “face of artificial leaves”. Just around that time Gupta, on his way to South Africa, spotted a vertical garden at Mumbai airport and immediately decided to have one on his terrace.

It’s the novelty factor of this concept that is becoming a rage, says Pavneet Singh of LifeWall who has seen interest in vertical gardens go up tenfold in the last one year alone. “Initially, people worry whether they would be able to look after it but soon get the hang of it,” says the Lucknow-based entrepreneur. And for all those who find the cost of vertical gardens a deterrent, Singh will soon be launching DIY sets “at a very basic price”. This is being done, he says, “because my aim is to see greenery in every feasible space. We have to put up a fierce fight against the spread of concrete. Vertical gardens may well be able to do that,” he adds. 

Tips to a perfect wall garden 

Amarjeet Batth

The paucity of space in cities has been leading plant lovers to go in for this European technique of placing plants at all possible places in the house. Mobility is a unique feature of vertical gardens, which can be created both for indoor and outdoor spaces. Herewith are a few tips for those keen on such gardening:

• A vertical garden begins from the periphery wall, stairs leading to house, entry point in flats, verandas and balcony.
• The art of vertical garden is in the choices of plants and arranging them for the right location.
• To begin with you require a strong support structure like the wall or a MS steel structure.
• Wooden frames of various size and shapes can be used for plantation. The top or the sides are kept open, Sphagnum moss or coarse peat is pressed within the frame and is the growing medium.
• It is important to periodically check the stability of the support system.
• Watering is a key concern. Drip irrigation is a prerequisite for an area above 100 sq feet. 
• Take care that horizontally and vertically growing plants should never be miss-matched. Sun-loving and shade loving also should not be planted in one combination.
• The initial cost of raising the infrastructure starts from Rs 500 per square foot, depending upon the location, structure, planters, and irrigation system.
• The potting medium needs to be replenished at least once a year. Ensure the plants have weed-free and pest-free surroundings. 
• Regularly remove the dried leaves and spent flowers. If any plant has died down, replace it immediately. 
• The popularly used indoor plants are: Moneyplant, Philodendron, Asparagus, Chlorophytum, Ophiopogon, Cryptanthus, Syngonium, Schefflera, Peperomia, and Begonia. Outdoor options include Asparagus, Golden duranta, Philodendron, Verbena and Widelia.
• Post-planting care is important. All plants require good aeration and drainage. Regular dose of nutrients and uninterrupted irrigation on the basis of need are a must for plants to flourish.