Make a living wall

Plastic guttering offers a cheap but cheerful planter for small succulents. We show how

When you have limited outdoor space it’s useful to create as many planting opportunities as you can. Vertical planting, intended to produce the effect of a ‘living’ wall, is a popular way to make the most of walls and fences, brightening up a small urban yard or patio. The idea shown here uses basic plastic guttering from a hardware store. It works beautifully for plants that don’t require too much soil, such as succulents and sedums. It’s a really affordable way of creating a living wall that’s great to look at but also practical – the whole thing weighs a lot less than alternative living wall structures and can be positioned anywhere, even a balcony or roof terrace. Here I’ve opted for four lengths of guttering, but you can use as many as you like, cut to length to suit your space. You could, of course, paint the guttering in bright colours; I was after a sleek contemporary look to complement my houseboat. Grey is also a nice neutral tone that will allow the plants to stand out. The combination of the glossy grey plastic, natural rope and the different shades of succulents looks really smart.