Vertical gardening with Gardena NatureUp!

This is a commissioned post in collaboration with Gardena

Introducing my new vertical herb garden!

gardena natureup vertical gardening system

I do love a new gardening project, and this week I’ve been enjoying myself creating a herb garden for our new patio. If you’ve been reading the blog lately, you’ll know we’re in the middle of a complete garden re-design, so this little project has been a lovely way to take a break from the heavy work and give us some instant results.

I’m thrilled to be working with Gardena over the next few months, using their products to help take care of our garden and make the most of our outdoor space. Gardena products are manufactured in Germany and are the leading brand in Europe for high-quality garden tools. You’ve no doubt come across their products in your local garden centre; it’s an impressive range, covering watering systems, lawn care, and tools for pretty much every garden task.

I’ve created my herb garden using the Gardena NatureUp! vertical gardening system, which is ideal for small outdoor spaces.

The Gardena NatureUp! vertical gardening system

NatureUp! is a flexible vertical gardening system that’s quick and easy to build. It’s a modular system, with straight and corner sets available, so you can combine packs to create a shape that perfectly suits your space. You could tuck a corner set into the smallest of spaces, or at the other end of the scale it’s perfectly possible to build an impressive living wall with multiple sets.

I’ve used the *Natureup! Vertical Basic Set to create my herb garden.

The Vertical Basic Set consists of three planters, each of which can house three plants, so you can fit a total of nine plants into it. The set can be stood on the floor, or hung on a wall using the *Wall Bracket kit. You can also add an *Irrigation Set to make watering really low-effort.

Creating my vertical herb garden

The Gardena NatureUp! kit was really easy to put together, you don’t need any tools at all unless you’re using the wall bracket kit. You start off by placing a planter onto the base plate, then fill it with compost (it’s worth putting some stones in the bottom first to help with drainage) and add in your first plants.

Four connecting clips go on next, then you just click a cover into place and you’re ready for the next planter.

If you’re using the irrigation set, you need to slot the pipes into the top of each planter as you go along.

Once all three planters are in place, you just pop the top cover on and you’re done!

I gave my herb garden a good soak to get it started, but since then I’ve been using the irrigation set which keeps everything nice and damp with minimal effort.

So, what do I like about the Gardena NatureUp! vertical gardening system?

Well for starters, I think it looks really modern and contemporary, which is perfect for our urban garden. And I love the fact that you can add extra kits to build up the vertical gardening effect, and that you can do this gradually without having to dismantle your existing setup.

There are also lots of features which make it a very practical container option. It’s a doddle to put together, each planter has drainage holes in the base to prevent water logging, the openings for each plant are generous which allows for easy maintenance, and the floor plate collects excess water which keeps my patio nice and clean. Add in the irrigation set and you’ve got a very low-maintenance vertical gardening system that’s brilliant for greening up even the smallest of outdoor spaces.

The *NatureUp! Vertical Basic Set costs £49.99 and the Vertical Irrigation Set costs £34.99. Gardena products are available online and at your local garden centre. You can find out more about the full range here. There are also lots of great product videos on their Youtube channel.

How would you use the Gardena NatureUp! system in your garden?