Celebrating Vertical Gardening with Garden Up!


Two of my favorite bloggers, Rebecca Sweet and Susan Morrison, have just released a book on vertical gardening called Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces. When I heard they were writing it I was so excited, because gaining height without adding width is a design challenge that is present in so many situations.

Whether you have a skinny bed with a big blank wall that needs softening, or a balcony garden needing interest and screening without taking away floor space, these ladies have got us covered with DIY projects, plant suggestions, and design tips for tackling any area that could use a vertical boost.

The purple wall! By Garden Up!

One of my favorite chapters was Garden Secrets. I’ll let them describe what it’s all about:

Even the loveliest of gardens can harbor an eyesore. Whether it’s an ugly (and noisy) air conditioning unit or a looming utility pole, most of us have something in our gardens that we wish would just go away. When that’s not possible, vertical garden techniques can help to blend, hide, or soften those offenders. Don’t worry; we’re not suggesting you reach for a makeup bag— learning a few easy design strategies and knowing the right plants to use is all it takes to make those eyesores disappear.

They shared a number of professional tricks about when to choose each type of foliage texture when you’re hiding something unsightly, and how to distract from utilitarian but ugly elements. Their design skills were evident in making what could be a complex topic, feel simple and straightforward.

Another favorite element were all the living walls. Susan and Rebecca show some easy but impressive garden projects that even a novice could tackle in a few hours for a professional, gorgeous look. Their bold use of color and fearless plant pairing made for some exciting combinations that I am already inspired to try (goodbye, ugly chicken coop wall, hellooo succulents!).

Here are a few of the DIY projects you’ll find in the book.

A succulent wall in a frame:

photo courtesy of Garden Up! Succulent wall

The edible “Gladiator” garden (named after the brand of fastener used!):

photo courtesy of Garden Up!

And the minimalist wall:

Minimalist wall by Garden Up!

You can see how they make each project easy to tackle and understand:

DIY succulent planter photo courtesy of Garden Up!

Lest you edible gardeners feel left out, many of the projects featured edibles used in new and exciting ways – definitely worthy of the Front Yard Food movement! I think this edible wall could stand proudly next to the snootiest of ornamental gardens, don’t you?

Edible living wall from Garden Up!

The best part about the book is the light, approachable style with which it’s written. Reading this book felt like having a cup of tea with two smart, talented, and occasionally silly designers. I learned a ton about how to make the most of small spaces, and am now armed with some lovely photos and how-to to inspire clients with.

Rebecca and Susan are launching Garden Up! today, with a blog party featuring some of the people who contributed photos and projects to the book. Head on over to Susan and Rebecca’s blogs to participate, and don’t forget to pick up your copy of Garden Up! At less than $12, it’s a steal for the amount of practical information contained within.

Like to read? Check out these other favorites:

Five Books for Pacific Northwest Gardeners

Five Books: Garden Blogger’s Favorite Reads

Book Review of Plant-Driven Design


7 responses to “Celebrating Vertical Gardening with Garden Up!”

  1. Gen – this has got to be my favorite review yet! Thank you for such glowing words – you KNOW how much I admire you and your work, so they really mean a lot to me. I’m so glad you felt like we were all having tea together while you read the book, too! That’s exactly how we wanted it to come across – nothing snooty or high-falutin’, just helpful and inspiring! Speaking of having tea….maybe we’ll get to actually sit down together for a cup next week!

  2. Thanks for a lovely review, Gen! You picked some great photos to share. But now we need one of your famous videos. Maybe you could read the book out loud to Amy Stewart while she sits in the garden with a chicken in her lap, sipping the beer she just opened with her Cuts-More scissors from Fiskars, and exclaims about how wonderful the book is. That wouldn’t seem fake, would it?

    • I think that summary of a video is right on point! I’ll be starting verticals myself this weekend when the snap peas are planted. I use copper pipe welded into a frame that slips over 18″ re-bar jammed into the ground. Works like a dream.

  3. RE: Susan’s comment: Lol! Yeah, where is the video review?
    I can’t wait to read this book! Looks awesome!

  4. Aww, Susan and Rebecca, you guys are too sweet! Glad you enjoyed the review. I also posted a different one on Amazon:

    http://www.amazon.com/review/R304OGFMQ7SQNR/ref=cm_cr_dp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1591864925&nodeID=283155&tag=&linkCode=

    And you know, Susan and Gina, I think you’re on to something. But Amy’s chickens don’t come cheap. They require a lot of scratch to stay happy while working. Perhaps a series of video reviews with kittens would work? 🙂 They work for neck scritches, which is a lot cheaper than organic chicken scratch!