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GARDENING

VERTICAL

GARDENING

WITH SA INDIGENOUS PLANTS

BY CAROL KNOLL

A vertical garden that changes
in appearance seasonally as
flowers and fruit materialise,

adds to a wall’s appealing
aesthetic value.

reelance ecologist Tania Anderson
designs ecological gardens. She
recently designed and planted a
Fmagnificent vertical garden for a
house in Parktown North. This green wall
garden is entirely south facing. The plants
were chosen by the designer with input
from the client to suit the shady aspect and
attract insects and birds.
The client wanted the wall to be relatively
easy to maintain and so many of the
plants were purchased at Random Harvest
Nursery in Muldersdrift.
The green wall system used was the Vicinity
Modular System which has honeycomb
pockets and strong porous bags with
adjustable strings to hold the plants. The
latter are easily removed when necessary.
The frame was installed by DesignNature
while Tania planted up and placed the bags.
The soil mix, comprising plenty of compost,
topsoil and vermicast (earthworm castings),
is lightweight and drains well. As the wall
is too sheltered for adequate rainfall, a
drip irrigation system was installed. This
has to be adjusted seasonally to ensure
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