Vertical Gardens Made With—

How clever! Admired in the garden of the Stable Cafe in San Francisco recently: artful arrangements of painted shutters sprouting succulents.

Lila B. Design, a San Francisco-based floral and garden design firm founded by Baylor Chapman, created this new take on the DIY vertical garden kit. Chapman painted salvaged solid wood shutters and then transformed them into vertical potting boxes filled with soil, planted with a variety of low-maintenance succulents. Perfect for the urban gardener.

Inspired to try it yourself? Go to Debra Prinzing for ideas on how to emulate Baylor's shutters with your own vertical garden DIY project.

Above: Lila B. Design Succulent Shutters are available by custom order; limited pieces are available at the Lila B. Design Online Shop. (N.B.: For ideas about how to make your own vertical garden kit, see DIY Vertical Garden Kit: Just Add Water (and a Wall).)

Above: The vertical succulent garden requires minimal care. Lila B. suggests partial shade, indirect light, and a periodic squirt of water to keep the low-maintenance succulents flourishing. Photo via Debra Prinzing.

Above: The Lila B Design Small Succulent Shutter is currently on offer for $275. For more, see "An Instant Vertical Garden Kit for Small Spaces" and "DIY Vertical Garden Kit: Just Add Water (and a Wall)."

(N.B.: This is an update of a post originally published June 19, 2012.)