Vertical gardening is a perfect solution for those who are space-poor but have sunny walls, fences or balcony railings.

If you live in an apartment block, first check with your body corporate or strata committee before installing or attaching any structures. 

And in free-standing dwellings, consult a professional builder or landscape designer.

There are several vertical garden systems available, from do-it-yourself wooden trellising using hooks and hanging pots, to the stylish, self-contained systems that come with their own growing light and irrigation.

In 2005, Ed Warburton from Greenwall Solutions installed Australia’s first internal green wall at the Gazebo Wine Bar in Sydney’s Kings Cross.

Since then, Mr Warburton has seen an explosion of interest in green walls.

One of the most inspiring is French botanist Patrick Blanc’s One Central Park in Sydney, a world-first 116-metre vertical hanging garden residential building. 

The greenery of Central Park and its grounds have transformed a once rundown district into a thriving work and social hub. Mr Warburton recently developed a new SkALE vertical garden system especially designed for small spaces. 

Before building a vertical wall consider how much space you have, your budget and write a checklist or questions, such as: