Since it’s Memorial Day and the unofficial 1st day of summer today, I thought I’d share my latest outdoor project with you.

I DIY’d an easy outdoor living wall! I have to say I am delighted with how this one turned out.

It’s something I have wanted to add to an outdoor space forever, and I finally decided to go for it.

Today, I am sharing how I made it, why I chose the plants, and what I will do differently next year!

Designing an outdoor living wall

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Choosing a space

I decided to add the wall to our outdoor space at the Airbnb.

We already planned on refreshing this deck for our Airbnb guests,, and there was a wall I wanted to make a focal point.

And the eastern sun exposure will provide plenty of light.

Once I had chosen the space, I worked out how large I wanted it to be.

Measuring the Space

To make a statement,, I wanted to build the structure to fill the entire wall.

But I did not want the structure to be permanent.

Instead, I wanted something we could change if we decided to sell the house.

So I decided we would need to lean it rather than attach it to the house.

Building the Living Wall Frame

Materials Needed for wall portion.

• Two sheets of 4 x 8 plywood
• Minwax stain in Early American
• Minwax stain in Ebony
• Polyurethane
• Plant Pockets
• Plants
• Screws

We started with 2- 4 x 8 pieces of plywood that we cut 6 inches from, giving us a frame of 7 ft x 8 ft.

The next step was to secure the two pieces of plywood together with one strip of plywood from what we had cut off the original pieces to the back of the plywood to give it some additional support.

Once we had our base, we built a frame around it.

I wanted the plants to sit inside a frame.

Using screws,, we secured the 4- 2 x 4 x 8 boards cut to fit along the outside of the plywood to frame it.

Once the frame was completed, I stained the plywood with Minwax Early American stain and the outside frame with Minwax Ebony a black to add some contrast.

Then I used three coats of polyurethane (letting them dry thoroughly between coats) to seal the entire piece for added protection against the elements.

I will probably add another coat in the fall.

Adding the plant bags.

Before I attached the plant bags,, I laid them out to see how I wanted to attach them.

Once I saw them laid out, I realized I wanted to add some other design element to this piece.

After some thought, I settled on a Giant Letter Board to leave welcome messages for our Airbnb guests.

How fun!

Now that my layout was decided on, I added the grow pockets.

They are made of a heavy-grade felt material.

We used these large vertical wall pockets for 4.5-inch plants.

I mixed a variety of the seven pocket version and 12 pocket version, leaving room for the giant letterboard in the middle.

Once the vertical wall pockets were attached, it was time to start planting.

Since I was using 4-inch plants (which tend to dry out quickly), I added a product that I have had success with in the past to the soil.

Miracle Grow Water-Storing Crystals.

These were very helpful with my patio containers last year, and I have my fingers crossed they can save me some watering this year.

When planting, you simply mix the crystals with the soil (I like to avoid the roots).

Follow the directions when adding to existing plants.

You have to be careful not to add too much.

Choosing plants for living wall.

The plants I chose:

Moonbeam Coreopsis

Vinca Vine

Ajuga Bugleweed

Campanula (white)

Asparagus Fern

With the help of my neighborhood nursery staff, I choose these particular plants because they are drought tolerant and will thrive in full sun.

This, combined with the water storing crystals, will help immensely with watering this summer.

Watering needs are essential to consider for a living wall.

The Giant Letterboard

• Porch Paint
• Primer
• 4 pieces of 1.5 x 36 inch wood
• 4 pieces of 1.5 x 50 inch wood
• Stain (leftover from structure)
• Polyurethane
• Vinyl Letters

For the giant DIY Letterboard, I painted the square with primer and then two coats of porch paint followed by three coats of polystyrene to seal it.

We then ripped four pieces of wood to 36 x 1.5 inches and four pieces 36 x.50 for the ledge.

I stained them with Minwax stain and sealed them with polyurethane since they are outside.

We attached the ledges with a pneumatic nailer.

Easy peasy!

We chose 8-inch lettI’m for the giant letteI’mard although the Vinyl letters are not cheap!

That is it for our easy DIY outdoor living wall.

I’m excited to say the plants are already beginning to fill in nicely, and we still have frost warnings here!

I’ll post another pic once it fills in.

Our final step was securing the entire piece to the house with a large hook and eye to prevent falling.

The Airbnb guests love leaving messages.

 

You may also like:

DIY Indoor Living Wall

DIY Checkerboard

Outdoor Decor Inspiration

Until next time,

-Libbie