A Vertical Garden: The Pallet Wall

Our vertical garden was created as a pallet wall–out of pure necessity. But, now that we have it, I can’t imagine life without it!

The Backstory

When we moved into our home, the patio had an overgrown, trumpet vine covered, lattice fence surrounding it. (One of the downfalls of buying a foreclosure, of course.) 

Once we removed all of that, we had this beautiful, stamped concrete patio. Our neighbors next to us have these two giant trees–we were sure would block the sun.

Nope.

The sun sets directly between the trees, blasting sunshine in your face the entire evening. 

Pergola or Pallet Wall?

Scott wanted a pergola. He imagined a motorized shade, kind of like any of these lovely ones I’d shown him. But, with an odd-shaped patio, we weren’t sure how to set it up. In the end, I convinced him that creating a wall of pallets would do exactly what we wanted–block the sun during dinner time. 

The Making of a Vertical Garden

What we created was a wall, made entirely of pallets. Because pallets have offset slats, blocking the sun has been a success. The wall consists of three, double-stacked sections, making it 8 feet high. Scott adjusted it to match the grade of our yard, tapering it down with each section.

Once the pallet wall was in place, I decided to use planters to decorate it. My idea was to plant flowers and herbs. We use a lot of herbs in our cooking, and I love herb-infused water, so being right outside our kitchen, it’s a perfect spot.

What Did We Plant?

I chose a couple different shades of pink to complement the greens. We have a few succulents that we added. But mostly, it’s herbs. Three kinds of basil, two oreganos, thyme, rosemary, lavender, two sage plants and a few mints. 

Vertical Garden DIY

If you’re interested in creating your own vertical garden pallet wall, take a look at my IGTV episode with the details. In it, I tell you where I got the planters, budget-friendly planting and other small pieces of info that might be helpful.

Finished with a Star!

The last piece added to the pallet wall was this rustic star from Hobby Lobby. The pallets were also painted with Flood Cedar Wood Finish to protect the wood and give it a lovely stained look.

Have You Done a Patio Garden?

What does your outdoor garden look like? Whether you have plants hanging on a wall, or off an existing patio, I’d love to see what you are growing!