Vertical Garden Planters

October 6, 2011

While at the True Value show up in Philadelphia, I found a couple of vendors that just joined the group that sell products I've been wanting to carry at the garden center for a while (they just weren't very retail friendly yet). Now that both vendors have worked out some better strategies for getting their product into independent garden stores, I'll be bringing them both in.

First are the Woolly Pockets. Now, I called them up when they first went into business...but the prices or merch'ing options just weren't right. Now that some of that is on track, I've ordered the brown "Wally" pockets...which just showed up.Very cool. They can be used inside or outside, have a water wicking and barrier system. You can grow houseplants indoors, or annuals/perennials/tropicals/herbs and veggies outdoors. We'll see how this one color does, then I can always select from black, tan and blue if you guys (customers) are interested.

I also plan to bring in the GroVert green wall systems. They finally have a smaller product available with a water wicking system that can be paired with a frame they are now making for wall art. Or, you can modularize multiple pieces to do a whole wall.These can be used indoors for houseplants/tropicals, or outdoors for succulents.

My biggest concern with these vertical growing systems is always the summer maintenance issues. Texas is darn hot and dry in the summer, and if you've ever tried to keep hanging baskets pretty in summer you know you have to water them daily. I think as long as you don't put these grow systems on a hot or West facing wall, or expect them to be low-maintenance in terms of water during the summer, you can create very pretty spaces with them. Using them indoors will be much easier. Use the Woolly Pockets for larger plant material, due to their larger planting reservoir. The GroVert system is going to be better suited to smaller terrarium plants indoors, and succulents outdoors, due to the smaller planting reservoir.

Look for us to have some upcoming how-to workshops on both of these growing systems up at North Haven Gardens.

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