Sara clashes with Keith over her vertical garden

It started innocently enough. Hayden asked Keith a quick question about plumbing, mentioning he planned to install a garden on the wall of he and Sara’s bathroom.

“Do you foresee any issues in terms of us fixing it to the wall?” Hayden questioned.

Keith did – but not for the reasons Hayden was asking about. “I don’t like it. … I’ve dealt with vertical gardens for years. Never seen them survive.”

“You might prove me wrong!” he conceded but looked like he didn’t believe a word of what he was saying.

Hearing Keith wasn’t a fan, Sara headed off to convince him otherwise. “The vertical garden guy is sending through all the specs,” she began.

“You’re putting in plants,” Keith said, entirely unconvinced. “Let’s say those plants sit there for two or three weeks without water. What’s gonna happen to those plants?”

Sara decided to show Keith proof the garden could work, rather than continue going back and forth with hypotheticals. Along with her vertical garden expert, she and Keith went to inspect a vertical garden that has been established for over three years. “I can see it’s in perfect condition,” Keith said, before pointing out the sunlight streaming in from the glass room. “In your bathroom, you haven’t got that situation,” Keith said to Sara pointedly.

Keith quizzed the expert on how he planned to affix the garden to the wall and maintain the waterproofing, actually suggesting an option himself. “Sounds great!” the expert enthused, and Sara beamed with delight as she was granted the go ahead for her garden.

“I’m so excited!” she said. “Happiness!”

Just to be safe, here are three tips to maintaining a lush vertical garden:

1. Choose your plants wisely. Consider the amount of sunlight they will need and even how you will prune them once they grow.

2. Keep the moisture levels high - unless you are growing succulents.

3. Consider irrigation carefully. Make sure the plants have adequate amounts of quality soil, are regularly topped up with fertiliser and can drain properly… avoiding Keith’s mould concerns. Place a bucket underneath when you give them a good water until everything has finished draining.

Check out some of the ways you can add some greenery to your bathroom?