Planting and Caring for a Vertical Garden {Part 4: #DigIn}

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

On Monday, I shared with you our tutorial on how to build a vertical garden.

DIY Vertical Garden Tutorial #digin #heartoutdoors

In today’s post (the last post in the series), I will show you how to plant the flowers in your vertical garden and how to care for the garden after completing the build.

We left off with our completed box.  You will want to grab the flowers that you chose.  (Read our tips on choosing flowers for a vertical garden here.)

Flowers for a Vertical Garden #DigIn

You will now need to cut a small “X” in the weed block with a utility knife or razor.  (Be careful, kids!)  You want the “X” to be big enough to allow the plant to fit through but not so large that the plant falls out.

Flowers for a Vertical Garden #DigIn

Move the dirt around a little to make room for your plant.  Grab your first plant and place it in the hole you just created.

Flowers for a Vertical Garden #DigIn

Be gentle with the plant.  Try to keep the roots intact.  The plant should fit snuggly in the vertical garden but it shouldn’t be super hard to push in.  I caught the hang of it after planting a couple of the flowers.  Continue to plant the flowers until your vertical garden bed is full.  I placed one to two plants in each section of lattice.  It’s a little bare now but should fill in nicely as we head into summer.

Flowers for a Vertical Garden #DigIn

Once the flowers were planted, I gave them a big ol’ drink of H2O.

Flowers for a Vertical Garden #DigIn

Nate and I were both pleased at how well the Behr Weather Proofing Stain repelled the water.  (As you can see in the photo above.)  Long live the vertical garden!

Now comes the hard part.  You need to keep your vertical garden horizontal for about 3 weeks.  Why?  You need to allow the soil to settle and to allow the roots to take hold.

Flowers for a Vertical Garden #DigIn

Unless you are an impatient blogger on a deadline.  A blogger who thinks it is lame to post a vertical garden horizontally for reveal photos.  We attached some ladder hooks to the back of the garden bed with screws and hung the garden on the deck for a quick photo op.

Flowers for a Vertical Garden #DigIn

The flowers were beginning to get a bit droopy by the end of our 5 minute shoot.  We quickly returned the bed to the horizontal position where it will stay for the next couple of weeks.  We will water the bed as needed and apply fertilizer every month or two.  We should be able to use the bed again next year.  We will just need to apply new weed block and soil to ensure the growth of healthy plants.

This impatient blogger can’t wait to get the vertical garden hung back up and for the flowers to fill in.  Ike, on the other hand, is more concerned about sunbathing.

Flowers for a Vertical Garden #DigIn

This vertical garden project has inspired me to tackle a Flower Tower, another #DigIn project from the Home Depot Garden Club.  And that project totally isn’t sponsored.  I’m just pumped to tackle it.

Part 1: 

Vertical Garden Inspiration

Part 2: 

Choosing Flowers for Your Vertical Garden

Part 3:

How to Build a Vertical Garden (A Tutorial)

Part 4:

Planting and Caring for Your Vertical Garden

Who’s ready to tackle a vertical garden of their own?  What outdoor projects are you tackling this week-end?