Here are the basic components of a wall garden:

 

The frame is made of wood or metal and functions like a picture frame around the garden panel, as in the picture.

 

 

Insert panels like GroVert or Verti-Garden are designed to hold about 16 plants in each and fit together to make garden walls of all sizes.

The planting medium will be a lightweight, non-soil based component designed to hold water and fertilizer.

Plants might be succulents that need little watering and enjoy full sun, annuals to provide color, or even edible plants like lettuce, spinach, strawberries, or other vegetables. In large garden walls, different plants are often used to create a living work of art.

Irrigation systems are designed to be a component of the system and allow ease of plant care in a home garden setting.

If your garden is looking a bit burned out by the heat and drought, how about a late summer spruce-up? Here are some plants we have in stock that will tolerate the heat and dry conditions looking their best:

Annuals include Mandevilla Vine, Lantana, and Verbena. Agapanthus is a another annual in our area, so heat hardy that it is prevalent throughout Australia.

Perennials to consider include Coneflower, Shasta Daisy, Black-eyed Susan, Goldenrod, Amsonia, Lamb's Ears, Coreopsis, Geraniums, and Dianthus.

If your herb garden is fading, add Sage, Lavender and Rosemary, all of which will flourish in the heat of late summer.

And don't forget the grasses. We have many grasses, and some like Molina Grass and Prairie Dropseed are just starting to bloom. Others reserve their show for later in the season and provide great interest in the fall garden.

Succulent Garden

Succulents store water in their leaves, stems, or roots. This characteristic gives them a fleshy appearance, and makes them particularly well adapted to dry, hot conditions. Their roots are very close to the surface and they have the ability to absorb even the tiniest amount of water from rain, soil moisture or even dew.

Succulents like rocky soil that drains quickly and does not contain too much organic content. They also require good air circulation and respond best when watered infrequently - sometimes only once a month. 

Commonly known succulents include all cacti,  Hens and Chicks, Jade plants, Sedum, Paddle Plant, Yucca and Aloe. You can see them in the garden center.

Mini Acorus Grass, Chocolate Chip Ajuga and Irish Moss in a wall garden unit.

The best way to extend the value of a small garden is to grow up. Using vines to cover walls and add dimension and depth is a classic idea. Here's a new one - garden walls!  

A garden wall is literally a system designed to put plants right on the wall. They add color and dimension and extend growing space. For handicapped gardeners, they are easy to reach. Garden walls are now available in simple-to-install systems for home owners. See our accompanying article for the basic elements of a wall garden system. 

Wall gardens are great for the side of the garage, which may be bare and uninteresting, a vertical garden in a sunken patio, a dimensional element on the railing of a large deck, a vertical vegetable garden along the back fence in a city yard, and in many other locations.  Come see everything we have to offer!

Hens and Chicks and Sedum in a wall garden for full  sun.

Pallet gardens are another alternative for growing in a small space. Pallets can be attached to a wall, deck railing or other structure, or can be leaned against an existing wall.

Photo courtesy of   www.perennialquality.com

How does that roof garden grow?

Regular readers of Seasonal Solutions will remember our feature last year on creating a small roof garden. The location on top of a small shed provided full sun for one side and filtered light for the other. The planting medium was custom mixed. Planting areas were divided into four sections, two on each side of the roof, constructed to keep the medium in place on a sloped surface. The plantings included grasses, a variety of native plants for dry locations, succulents, and herbs.

For the first season, the roof garden was watered lightly every day. Temperatures were normal for a Chicago summer. The second season - this summer - as we all know, has been exceptionally hot and dry. The roof was watered periodically, and every day after June 15th that temperatures topped 95 degrees.

Native plants that did well in this environment included Blue Sky Aster, Geranium and Prairie Dropseed Grass. Coreopsis and Dianthus did well until extreme hot temperatures set in.  Successful herbs included Chives, Thyme and especially Sage. Succulents, primarily Dragon's Blood Sedum, thrived in this environment - the hotter and drier the better.