Last updated on October 6, 2013 by Liza Hawkins

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.
I’m happy to report that the next steps for my vertical garden project are under way, and very excited to get started on the build!

In my last post I was still deciding where to hang the vertical garden, and had three different locations in my backyard to pick from: on the brick wall outside my kitchen door, along my deck rails, or down along the far side of our fence.

Ultimately, after consulting my building-savvy husband I decided to pick the brick wall outside the kitchen because it gives easy access to the herbs mixed in with flowers. This also means remembering to water won’t be a chore – it’ll only be footsteps away from my kitchen sink! Plus, we both think the vertical garden will be heavy once it’s full of soil and the brick will be able to best withstand the weight once everything’s anchored.

Perhaps the only downside to this location is the fact that the back of our house gets full sun for most of the day, and the bricks heat up like an oven. Because of this, we have to be extra careful with the type of wood we use, otherwise it could fall victim to warping and cracking under the intensity.

This is the kind of wood my husband said would work best, even though in most cases a simple white wood or pressure treated wood is perfect:

I also paid special attention to the types of flowers that would work well in that environment – and Home Depot has a slew to pick from right now!

I love all the bold colors, but my favorites are the oranges, fuchsias and purples!

Ultimately, my plan is to mix hearty staples like marigolds, zinnias and petunias all together for a bright, cheery explosion of color.

I used the Most Popular Annuals in the North link on the Garden Club site to help me choose which flowers would be perfect for the six or more hours of full sun that location gets.

But, in addition to those, I do plan to add a few herbs to the mix: basil, oregano, flat leaf parsley. This makes our choice of lumber and soil really important. I mean, we’ll be eating some of those plants! So, I didn’t go with pressure treated wood (don’t want anything leeching into edible plants), and I also chose an organic watershed safe soil that’s made from natural, sustainable sources and supplemented by certified organic nutrition.

Next up is the actual build, which my husband has graciously offered to help with (and I’m not complaining)! This is the perfect project for our small townhouse backyard because it can hang pretty much anywhere, and since it’s off the ground our dog won’t be nosing around and messing with it.

What are your favorite flower combos?

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.