RANGE REVIEW: OUTDOOR LIVING


GARDEN DESIGN T


USING WALLS IN


Garden wall designs can take many forms, from concrete stone verticals and painted fences to elaborate trellis designs and, more recently, living walls – supporting growing demand for enticing garden spaces as people spend more time at home. Here, Garry Gregory, packed products director at Tarmac, explores how retailers can take support customers with products and advice, including the role of concrete in garden walls and how biophilic elements can drive creativity and demand.


here is no doubt that the global pandemic has impacted the way in which people think about their garden. With


homeowners spending more time at home than ever before – and with growing awareness of wellbeing – the garden has become a valuable extension of living space and a beautiful, functional garden has never been so important. This, in turn, has increased the emphasis on garden design. From dining to socialising, cooking and


relaxing, homeowners are


increasingly creating separate zones in their outdoor spaces to fulfil their alfresco aspirations.


Outdoor zones With this in mind, walls provide the perfect way to not only divide space but maximise it too. More than just a practical boundary solution, a wall can create a standout centre piece, define a space or frame a view to add real ‘wow’ factor to the garden. Tall walls can also be used to seclude a space, providing privacy and security. There are, of course, a range of


construction options including timber, bricks and blockwork, but concrete offers a practical, stylish and easy solution for DIYers, with a host of design opportunities too. By simply building forms and pouring a high- strength product such as Tarmac Blue Circle High Strength Concrete (40N), customers can create easy dividers in the garden with real impact. One of the aesthetic benefits of


concrete is its ability to take on the texture of the forms into which it is poured, making it possible to enhance its surface appearance with different finishes. The concrete can be complemented with wood to add warmth and depth to the finished


22 DIY WEEK MAY 2022


product, such as horizontal rough- board forms to shape and imprint the concrete with the grain of the wood. The possibilities are endless. For customers looking to add height to an existing wall, we suggest using a no mix concrete product, such as Tarmac Blue Circle Postcrete, to secure upright posts to the wall. These can provide a frame for horizontal slats of hardwood, such as cedar, which will add texture and interest to the space.


Living walls


One of the biggest opportunities with a garden wall comes when customers add plants to create vertical green spaces, particularly for those who can’t afford to lose footprint on the floor.


The Horticultural Trades Association reports an increase in sales for bedding plants (29%), seeds (59%) and gardening equipment (51%) over the last year as people turn to plants to create more attractive outdoor spaces. Living walls provide the perfect opportunity to grow plants vertically and can add extra dimension to even the tiniest of square footage. And demand is rising, as shown by Real Gardens, which reports a 285% increase in ‘vertical garden’


being typed into search engines in recent months. In its simplest form, a vertical wall can be trailing or climbing plants planted in mounted containers


or pockets,


sometimes with a sheet of polythene behind. Lower maintenance solutions, such as tiered wood shelving planters or vertical frames with hanging plant pots can also be used, providing a cost-effective vertical growing option. For real visual impact however,


you can suggest turning an old wall into a vertical garden to provide additional space to grow flowers. More experienced DIYers could also use complex moulding forms to create stylish designs using concrete.


Vertical vegetables Another big selling point for retailers is with the rise in ‘grow your own’. Research from Weleda shows that in the last year, 26.7 million Britons grew their own fruit, veg and herbs – with 7.4 million trying it for the first time during the pandemic. A vertical vegetable garden is the perfect way to enjoy a harvest of freshly grown goods without taking up already limited space. Most vegetables


can be easily


grown in containers and shelves provide a versatile vertical growing


• Visit www.tarmac-bluecircle. co.uk for more information.


www.diyweek.net wall-


space. These can be constructed as high or as wide as a space allows, with each shelf offering the opportunity to grow a variety of different vegetables. Again, for those starting from scratch, concrete moulds can be designed to accommodate such shelves within a visually appealing wall.


Although any type of shelving may be used, ones with slats will work best, allowing better air circulation and water flow between tiers. For customers looking to extend the growing further, a fence can serve as additional space to grow beans, peas and tomatoes.


A structured solution


Whether using brick, block, stone, timber or concrete, walls are an important structural element in the garden. Combining a wall with clever landscaping, and enhancing space with vertical greening, allows a living wall to bring life to even the smallest of functional spaces. The onus now is on retailers to showcase the opportunities, get creative with bedding displays and entice customers to unlock the potential of garden walls including living walls.


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