Getting everything off the floor — including gardens
Make more out of your useable space
After another successful speaking event at the Vancouver Home and Garden show, I came home excited to be gardening again.
There is nothing quite like spring sun and some warm weather to get your juices flowing again. I love the proverbial recharge and I also love seeing the trends at the show. This year’s offerings did not disappoint.
Vancouver is a city where space is at a premium and it comes with a high price tag. The average home in the greater Vancouver area is well over $1 million, which causes homeowners and potential buyers to do more with less. This year at the garden show it was all about floor space, specifically, getting everything off the floor — including the gardens.
Hanging gardens are definitely back in style. I saw more macramé planters and hanging flowerpots at the show than I did in the ’80s on yard sale tables. I was definitely surprised by the size of these planters. Hanging planters have become hanging gardens. No longer one or two plants in a pot, the hanging gardens in Vancouver often had more than 10, including flowers, vines and even shrubs.
If you are thinking about doing this, make sure really bulk up on the reinforcements that hold your planters up. Too often we underestimate the weight of the soil, the plants and the planter. Even worse, this number goes way up when we add water.
I also loved the vegetables-over-vegetable planters. These creative planters by Lifespace Gardens are so simple and yet a great way to maximize available space. These trough-style, self-watering containers come with a simple stand and bracket, allowing you to place one over the other and still provide adequate space in between for even tall tomatoes. I love the versatility of these planters. Personally, I would put some pole beans in the lower one and let them climb all over the stand.
Planted green roofs have become the newest from of creating privacy. These solid structures are built on an angle and planted with low maintenance sedums and plants. By doing this type of structure, not only do you provide adequate drainage for the plants, you can also effectively block out more of the neighbours’ view of your space. Look for these types of angled gardens popping up on top of pergolas and arbours across the country.
Whatever your growing situation, we all should stop thinking of our gardens as flat spaces. Going up, getting off the ground or stacking are all great ways to make more out of your useable space. You are only limited by your imagination.