I love fresh herbs in my kitchen. I also love vertical gardens hanging on the wall as art, as you can see from when I made this gorgeous Wallflower Living Frame. So it dawned on me that converting a living frame to a vertical herb planter could be the perfect ingredient to add to my kitchen. This version is coated with chalkboard paint, which gives it some extra charm and a bistro feel.
I love being able to easily label and decorate the frame with chalk as I please, or leave it blank sometimes when I want the dramatic black of the frame to stand out.
I was inspired to create this planter from one that I blogged about in my post on vertical gardens.
By Nature Designs was kind enough to provide me with a Wallflower Living Frame that I could DIY into its doppelganger.
See the instructions on how to plant a living frame here.
Now, on to how to make this one!
Materials
- WallFlower Living Frame
- Chalkboard paint
- Herbs
- X-acto knife
- Reindeer moss
- Paintbrush
- Chalk or chalk pen
Make it!
Paint the frame with chalkboard paint. My Wallflower frame was gray (as you can see in the photos). I used three thin coats to get solid coverage. Allow the paint to dry and cure for 24 hours before planting or writing on it.
Choose the right herbs for your planter by reading this post on Which Herbs to Grow Indoors (and Which Herbs NOT to Grow Indoors).
Soak the soil pouch in water, then assemble it inside the frame as outlined in the instructions (it hooks onto the back with wicks hanging into the water trough).
Lay the planter flat on its back and cut an “X” in the fabric where you want to add the plants. Remove the plants from their pots and shake off some of the soil. Dig a little hole in the pouch where the “X” was cut and gently add the roots to the hole. Push the soil around the roots to hold in the plant and pull the fabric points of the “X” over the soil.
After all the plants have been added, add some green reindeer moss to cover up any of the fabric pouch that is visible.
Use a soft paintbrush to dust off any soil.
And trim the plants.
Now it’s ready to move indoors!
Use chalk or a chalk pen to write the names of the herbs on the frame and hang on the wall or set on the counter in the kitchen.
Look for a bright location that will allow you easy access to the plants and the water reservoir. Read more about how to be successful with indoor herb gardens in this post.
If You Love Herbs as Much as We Do, You’ll Want to See these Posts:
Natural Pest Control – How To Plant Mixed Herbs and Vegetables To Deter Pests
I love how convenient this is! Keep it on th kitchen counter and you have fresh herbs while cooking all the time! I’m definitely trying this!
Where can I purchase the three tier outdoor plant hanger depicted on your site?
It’s a hanging basket for fruit, you would find it at a thrift or homewares store.