MAY 18-24 2014
Feature
Kick Start
Cover Story
Pakistani expats assimilate into the Australian society with footy
The War Within Dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder
32
Green Thumb
Hanging Gardens How to grow a vertical garden
42
24
4
Regulars
6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people
38 Review: TV shows and movies
Magazine In-charge: Sarah Munir and Sub-Editors: Dilaira Mondegarian & Mifrah Haq Creative Team: Essa Malik, Jamal Khurshid, Samra Aamir, Kiran Shahid, Munira Abbas, Omer Asim, Sanober Ahmed & Talha Ahmed Khan Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Executive Editor: Muhammad Ziauddin. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk Twitter: @ETribuneMag & Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ETribuneMag Printed: uniprint@unigraph.com
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Pure Health CafĂŠ opens up in Karachi
PHOTOS COURTESY TAKE II
Batool Mehdi and Samar Mehdi
Sanam Jung, Amna Jung and Sidra Jung
Anoushay
Mathira
Urwa
Sherry Shah and Akif Illyas
6 MAY 18-24 2014
PEOPLE & PARTIES
PHOTOS COURTESY TAKE II
Alizeh and Sanya Hassan
Sohail Javed and Asma Sohail
Kehkashan Khan
Muzna Ibrahim
Zhalay Sarhadi
Shams Mistry, Nadia Mistry and Urooj
8 MAY 18-24 2014
PEOPLE & PARTIES
The pizza outlet Mozzarella 27 opens in Lahore
PHOTOS COURTESY BILAL MUKHTAR EVENTS AND PR
Andleeb and Arfah
Aleeha and Nayab
Amina
Anushaeh Asad
Madiha and Aima
Faryal, Shireen and Sabha
10 MAY 18-24 2014
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Mariam and Rashid Makbool
shif Rania, Rootaba Ka
PHOTOS COURTESY BILAL MUKHTAR EVENTS AND PR
Mahnoor, Maheen, Muhammad and Noor
and Nusrum
Sophiya Khan
Khurram, Nabia and Rayan
12 MAY 18-24 2014
PEOPLE & PARTIES Canvas Gallery showcases the work of late artist Asim Butt in Karachi
Adnan Pardesy and Fathma Amir
PHOTOS COURTESY FOTOZONE
Diya and Azeem
Kiran Aman
Maheen Rehman
Ainy Jaffri
Amna Zahid and Nafisa Rizvi
14 MAY 18-24 2014
COVER STORY
24 MAY 18-24 2014
The War
Dealing with the aftershock of trauma is as taxing as the real ordeal
Within
BY ISHRAT ANSARI
DESIGN BY MUNIRA ABBAS
In the post-9/11 world, Pakistan and America share a mutual enemy and a mental health disorder. The war that has raged on for more than a decade now has left in its wake plenty of demons and debris on both sides. While the physical aftershocks are being tended to, the mental wounds have largely gone unnoticed. Until they began creeping up silently in the form of anxiety, panic, paranoia, depression and full-blown mental disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in extreme cases. The demons in our head The American Psychological Association has described PTSD as an anxiety disorder that develops in people after extremely traumatic events such as combat, crime, physical or sexual abuse, an accident or natural disaster. To be diagnosed with PTSD, one must have been in a situation in which they fear for their safety or life, or they must have experienced something that made them feel fear, helplessness or horror. Although PTSD currently affects nearly eight million American adults and has existed in some form or the other for a long time, its transition from an exotic rarity to an undeniable reality is fairly recent. According to a 2011 study by the Georgia State University and the San Diego State University, the rate of PTSD diagnosis and awareness about the disorder increased with the emergence of symptoms in Vietnam War veterans, even 20 to 25 years after the fighting ended in some cases. Nearly 830,000
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COVER STORY The nature and severity of PTSD differs case-by-case. Some of the most common forms are: Acute stress disorder: symptoms occurring within four weeks of the trauma.
Acute PTSD: symptoms lasting three months or less.
Delayed onset PTSD: symptoms appear six months after the trauma.
Chronic PTSD: symptoms lasting more than three months.
Vietnam War veterans suffer from PTSD, according to estimates by the United States Department of Veteran Affairs. The numbers continued rising as America ventured into more wars (Iraq and Afghanistan) after 9/11. Approximately 300,000 veterans of America’s post-9/11 wars — nearly 20% of those who have served — are suffering from PTSD or major depression and many more cases are expected to surface in the years ahead, states a study by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision making through research and analysis. Pakistan, on the other hand, has been on the receiving end of this war. As terrorism, suicide attacks and militancy spilled across its borders and seeped into daily lives, mental health was added to the long list of collateral damage. In a country where there are only 320 psychiatrists to treat a population of nearly 180 million, it is no surprise that there is scant data on mental health and ever lesser awareness about the prevalence of PTSD. “No studies have been done to assess the prevalence of PTSD in Pakistan but the number is much higher than we think it is,” says Dr Ayesha Mian, who heads the psychiatry department at Aga Khan University, Karachi.
Every war has an after-war It has been a year since the bomb blast at Abbas Town, Karachi but those who survived it are struggling to cope with its aftershocks. Thirty-year-old Nadia still avoids go26 ing to her mother’s house after the sun sets as memories MAY 18-24 2014
of that day still haunt her. “I was only a few steps away from the main gate of Iqra City when it happened,” she says. “The fear that I could die still does not go away.” Nadia was in the first trimester of her pregnancy at the time and lost her baby as a result of the trauma. “Doctors told me that it happened because I was extremely upset. I could not shake off memories of the thick black smoke, the earth shaking under my feet and the chaos of people running wildly for their lives.” Even living in the same building was a painful reminder and hence, Nadia and her family moved. Avoiding that time, place or area is a
Screening for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) If you suspect that you might suffer from PTSD, answer the questions below, print out the results and share them with your health care professional. Are you troubled by the following? You have experienced or witnessed a life-threatening event that caused intense fear, helplessness or horror.
Do you re-experience the event in at least one of the following ways? Repeated, distressing memories, or dreams Acting or feeling as if the event were happening again (flashbacks or a sense of reliving it) Intense physical and/or emotional distress when you are exposed to things that remind you of the event Do reminders of the event affect you in at least three of the following ways? Avoiding thoughts, feelings or conversations about it Avoiding activities and places or people who remind you of it Blanking on important parts of it Losing interest in significant activities of your life Feeling detached from other people Feeling your range of emotions is restricted Sensing that your future has shrunk (for example, you don’t expect to have a career, marRiage, children, or normal life span) Are you troubled by at least two of the following? Problems sleeping Irritability or outbursts of anger Problems concentrating Feeling ‘on guard’ An exaggerated startle response Have you experienced changes in sleeping or eating habits? More days than not, do you feel… Sad or depressed? Disinterested in life? Worthless or guilty? During the last year, has the use of alcohol or drugs... Resulted in your failure to fulfill responsibilities with work, school, or family? Placed you in a dangerous situation, such as driving a car under the influence? Gotten you arrested? Continued despite causing problems for you or your loved ones? REFERENCE: DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL OF MENTAL DISORDERS, FOURTH EDITION. WASHINGTON, DC, AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION, 1994.
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COVER STORY
No studies have been done to assess the prevalence of PTSD in Pakistan but the number is much higher than we think it is Dr Ayesha Mian classic symptom of PTSD, says Mian. Other symptoms include panic attacks, physical pain, feelings of mistrust and detachment, substance abuse, depression and even suicidal thoughts in extreme cases. Although combat has been one of the leading triggers of PTSD, it is by no means the only one. Victims of natural disasters, concentration camp survivors and individuals employed in occupations that expose them to violence such as journalists, medical personnel, firefighters and emergency rescue workers are equally likely to experience some degree of PTSD. Survivors of physical and sexual abuse also tend to relive the horror in their head repeatedly and hence suffer from PTSD at times, as seen in the case of 10-year-old Haris. After he was sexually abused by two men in New Karachi, Haris not only stopped going to school but also refused to leave his room. “It is very difficult for rape victims to talk to or face anyone as they develop a feeling of mistrust and live in constant fear,” says Rukhsana Siddiqi, the survivor support officer at War Against Rape, a non-profit organisation that works towards the support and rehabilitation of rape victims. “Even though PTSD symptoms manifest themselves eventually in most rape cases, their recognition and treatment is rare,” says Dr Khalid Mehmood Bhatti who heads the applied psychology department at the Government College University, Faislabad. Since the documented number of rape cases is higher in Sindh and Punjab, the mental repercussions in these provinces is also suspected to be greater and can have an adverse impact on the general health of the society if left untreated, he elaborates further.
Road to recovery PTSD is treatable through a combination of medication and psychotherapy, as seen in Haris’s case who returned to school after three months of psychotherapy. The most 28 commonly used methods of psychotherapy are: MAY 18-24 2014
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy(CBT): This helps a person learn behavioural techniques for relaxation and restructure patterns of thinking that foster anxiety. Exposure Therapy: This involves exposing someone systematically to the memories and events associated with a trauma and reducing the fear response to these events, under the guidance of a trained therapist. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR): This involves presenting the patient with various visual and tactile stimuli meant to release emotional experiences and free the mind of blockages. The method of treatment differs from patient to patient depending on the severity of their condition. However, lack of awareness not only delays diagnosis but often hinders patients from seeking the right course of action even after they realise the problem. “I have two kids. I cannot spend hours oncounselling,” says Nadia who still shows mild signs of PTSD but shies away from treatment. In urban centres, victims are keener to seek legal help than medical assistance whereas in rural areas, people turn to prayer and spiritual healing instead, explains Dr Bhatti. Culture also plays an important role. Not only is there a degree of stigma attached to seeking mental help but there is a certain sense of nobility attached to suffering in silence.
SOURCE: WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION
PTSD on the rise? According to most mental health professionals, the prevalence of PTSD in Pakistan is hard to gauge. “Based on clinical and social observations, we can assume that stress is rising. But since there are no numbers available, it is difficult to say whether the incidence of PTSD has increased,” says Dr Rubina Kidwai, a clinical psychologist and faculty member at NUST, Karachi. Acute stress disorder which lasts for a few days and eventually lowers in severity is a lot more common, says Dr Uzma Ambreen, a Karachi-based consultant psychiatrist. A few also argue that the continuous deterioration in the law and order situation has resulted in a higher resilience among the general population. “Since there is no sign of terrorism being curbed, people have developed stronger coping mechanisms,” says Dr Imran Khan, a consultant psychiatrist at the Khyber Teaching Hospital in Peshawar. But there is complete consensus when it comes to prioritising mental health in the country. This means implementing the mental health ordinance promulgated in 2001, which will bring about significant changes in the law relating to the mentally disabled population with respect to their care and treatment and management of their property and other related matters. The need for more trained mental health professionals in the country should also not be sidelined any longer (the ideal psychiatrist per population ratio being followed worldwide is 1 to 10,000). Because until that happens, disorders such as PTSD will remain shrouded in myths, denial and misinformation. T
Disability-adjusted life years rates for post-traumatic stress disorder per 100,000 inhabitants in 2004.
No Data <43.5 43.5-45 45-46.5 46.5-48 48-49.5 49.5-51 51-52.5 54-55.5 55.5-57 57-58.5 >58.5
Note: Names have been changed to protect their identities.
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Ishrat Ansari works at The Express Tribune Karachi desk. She tweets @Ishrat_ansari MAY 18-24 2014
FEATURE
Kick Start Footy helps Pakistani expats assimilate into Australian society TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ZAIN NABI
32 MAY 18-24 2014
To an outsider, the athletes practising â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;footyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or Australian football at the Carlton Football Club in Melbourne, Australia, might appear like a bunch of misfits. The group of sweaty players, some of who are working full-time as cab drivers, restaurant staff, cleaners and console operators or studying with a part-time job, have been brought together to play a sport they are not familiar with. But that has not deterred them from vying for a position in the Pakistan Shaheens, the first-ever footy team
The team with former Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Malik Abdullah.
to officially represent Pakistan in the prestigious Australian Football League (AFL) to be played in Melbourne in August this year. Kashif Bouns, founder and managing director of the Shaheens Sporting Club, glances at the players from his office window. “This is what I want my players to be,” he announces. “Sooner or later, they will achieve the glory they have aimed for and make Pakistan proud.” The Pakistan Shaheens is the club’s first venture and has also been officially endorsed by former Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Malik Abdullah. When the Shaheens initiative kicked off, Bouns hosted a large gathering of Pakistani expats and asked them to take ownership of the project. For those who have become part of this venture since then, either as players or volunteers, it is not so much about fame and money as
it is a heartfelt effort to represent their community and integrate into the wider Australian society that exhibits the same passion for footy as Pakistanis do for cricket. Although well settled, the Pakistani expat community and the students who arrive each year remain scattered across the country, and Bouns hopes a Pakistani footy team will bring them together on one platform. Hence, Pakistanis from diverse backgrounds have made it to the team. For Bilal Khan, a business intelligence analyst who has also composed and sung the Shaheens’ anthem, this was a fascinating overture. “I could not even imagine that players from Pakistan would be playing footy let alone competing in the International Cup,” he says. “When I tell my local Australian friends that I am playing footy, they, too, get very excited [and] give me 33 advice on how to get better.” MAY 18-24 2014
FEATURE
It is not so much about fame and money as it is a heartfelt effort to represent their community and integrate into the wider Australian society that exhibits the same passion for footy as Pakistanis do for cricket Since there is no monetary compensation, those involved in the venture are only doing it out of passion. “Money is not everything here,” says Farrukh Salahuddin, a hospitality student who works as a pizza delivery boy. “The fact that I can keep in touch with members of the Pakistani community through this sport is satisfying,” he says. “Moreover, the idea that you can represent your country on a foreign soil in itself is very motivating. The hectic training keeps me fit too.” However, forming a footy team from scratch with players who know nothing about the game was no easy task. Australian football is played with slightly different rules from traditional football as it allows the use of any part of the body to move the ball, with certain rules of course. The Shaheens initiative involved gruelling homework on the part of the club’s committee members — all Pakistani expatriates — before the idea could be sold to the greater community. They came up with a catchy logo, a slogan (Believe and Achieve), an anthem and dealt with an abundance of paperwork. “We were not talking about cricket,” says Bonus. “It was something that had never been thought of before. This indeed added a sense of exclusivity to our project, but at the same time it exposed us to hydra-headed technical problems.” Bouns has so far managed the entire cost of this not-forprofit entity, from arranging training facilities to buying gear and other equipment, mostly on his own. Some local businesses have supported the club and a marketing team of volunteers are actively seeking sponsors, both locally as well as from Pakistan. Advocating the cause successfully with official authorities was not as difficult as finding good athletes 34 who could make up the team. In a promising start to the MAY 18-24 2014
Pakistan Shaheens practising at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during
(Above and Below) Shaheens during training.
half-time break of another match.
(Above) Coach Richard Kerbatieh briefs players during training. (Below) Coaches Andrew Clarke, Richard Kerbatieh and Wassim Rafihi.
project, the Shaheens received expressions of interest from over 50 players. However, when called for training and selection, many fell below the mark, while some did not even show up. Bouns could not expect his players to be physically competent right off the bat, but says he wanted discipline and commitment from day one. “We were willing to give them the due training but they had to commit to a hectic training schedule.” Once selection was complete, the players were trained rigorously including workouts and sessions on the technicalities of the game. However, many of them started dropping out and there came a time when the number of available players was barely 10. “I think it was good for us.” Bouns recalls. “It showed us how many of them were genuinely interested and we then built on from there to reach the stage where we have a bunch of dedicated players, some of whom will feature in the international cup.” For a team just starting out, the Shaheens needed a crash course in footy with the help of professional coaches. Fortunately, they rounded up three: Andrew Clarke, an author and an accredited AFL coach, Richard Kerbatieh, an active campaigner for promoting Australian football among expatriate communities and Wassim Rafihi who has two Premierships under his belt — one as a player and the other as coach. Given that they have never played footy before and are brought up in a culture where no one mentions footy, the players have made commendable strides. The coaches are obviously impressed. “Some of them did not even know how to handle this oval-shaped ball,” Clarke recalls the first few weeks of training with the Shaheens. “But I am amazed how quickly and impressively they have responded to my training methods.” The team’s management is quite optimistic about their team’s inclusion, among 20 other international teams, in the 2014 AFL International Cup. The Shaheens may even have to face India in the competition, fuelling excitement around the initiative. Yet the coaches, even Bouns for that matter, are cautiously optimistic of their chances of winning the AFL International Cup. “It is our first year and our goal is to show the world that we are here, and we matter,” he says. “Through our game we want to give a positive reflection of Pakistan.” With that remark, Bouns gets up energetically and heads towards the changing room. It is time to play. Zain Nabi is a masters student of Journalism and International Relations. He tweets @zain97 MAY 18-24 2014
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Crowning Glory Game of Thrones season four emerges as a game-changer for fans BY SIBTAIN NAQVI
“I will answer injustice with justice,” replies the exiled Daenerys Targaryen at the suggestion of her advisor to spare the lives of the slave masters. She then proceeds to crucify them in the same way they had crucified their slaves. This is just one of the many powerful scenes in the latest season of HBO’s Game of Thrones. The show has left its ever-growing acolytes, who reached a 6.5 million mark this season, salivating for more. Based on George Raymond Richard Martin’s books, collectively called Songs of Fire and Ice, Game of Thrones revolves around magic, history and realpolitik. It shows the leading families of the seven kingdoms of Westeros torn by civil war for the Iron Throne. A historical approximation is the War of Roses which was fought between the houses of Lancaster and York. This current season is adapted primarily from the second half of the novel A Storm of Swords, along 38 with elements of A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons. MAY 18-24 2014
Previous seasons of Game of Thrones have usually followed a pattern. Starting with a recap of the plot lines, building up to a crescendo with the death of a major character, or characters, and then tapering off with a muted coda for the next season. Ever since Ned Stark lost his head, death has been the only constant in the Game of Thrones, even one wrong word leading to a severed limb or worse. Watching Hound confront ruffians in the King’s service gives one an impending sense of doom and you can feel the palpable tension in the room. This time around the ‘royal’ death happens in the second episode which hints at more violence in the coming few weeks. With HBO’s tagline ‘All men must die’, it should not be surprising if many more men and women are mowed down in a tried and tested bid for high ratings. Then again Game of Thrones is an unconventional TV show, even in the genre of swords and fantasy productions. The intricate plot
lines and strong characters keep one riveted to the action and there is enough titillation of the senses to gloss over even the dryer bits. In season four, Daenerys Targanean moves towards reclaiming the Iron Throne in what must be the slowest military march in the history of television, and other characters go through their paces for a season climax. Some parts of the show hold up the plot better than others. Arya and the Hound’s adventure on the road have provided what passes of as comic relief and Tyrion Lannister emerges as the unexpected hero at the very start and continues to hold his own even as new characters are introduced. Plot twists and multiple narratives are not jittery and character development is done carefully, even if it is for a lowly squire. What makes the current season of Game of Thrones watchable is the seamless switching of scenes between the arid landscapes through which Daenerys plods to the icy realms of the North where John Snow prepares to resist the impending wildling invasion. In between are other storylines which, when combined, are a testament to the makers of the show who were able to convert George Martin’s byzantine storyline into great television. There are, however, some weak points in this season as well. The much spoken about dragons have yet to live up to their hype and in a show with complex and layered characters and subplots, the portrayal of Daenerys as the good force makes her successes far too predictable. Jamie Lannister, assumed to be the villain by his fa-
ther seems to be out of place in the current setting. His chief role in the show thus far has been the much condemned rape of his sister Cersie, who in contrast has managed to maintain the malevolent persona throughout the seasons. The rape scene has sparked more than its share of controversy. In the books, this encounter is consensual but the show’s writers decided to go the other way and have attracted disapproval from all quarters. Several critics have blasted the show for its politically incorrect stance while others have forsaken the show for good. The surprising bit is that worldwide audiences have not shown the same level of displeasure over the graphic images and have been fairly matter-of-fact about these aspects. And as the show progresses, our focus is diverted to the following: Will Tyrion Lannister walk free? Will Sansa and Arya make it to freedom? Will John Snow prevail? And most importantly, will we see the dragons breathe fire over their mother’s enemies? These and many other questions will keep millions glued to the events of Westeros as we move towards the season finale. As Jamie Lannister said, “The war is not won.” No, not yet.
Rating: Sibtain Naqvi is a freelance writer and an art critic. He tweets at @Sibtain_N MAY 18-24 2014
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A mediocre spin-off The Amazing Spider-Man 2 entangles you in its intricately woven web of subplots BY VAQAS ASGHAR
After the positive response to The Amazing Spider-Man reboot, expectations were high from the sequel, especially after the addition of Jamie Foxx to the cast. But as the credits roll, the fall from expectation to reality is steep, much like the fall a central character suffers. While the action sequences and general acting are good, the number of villains and limited character development make following the plot a bit of a mental exercise. Why does Electro (Jamie Foxx) conveniently go from harmless to evil? How does his transformation from human to super-villain work? Why are there three villains stuffed in the same movie when the same idea failed miserably in Spider-Man 3 that featured SpiderMan’s most captivating rival, Venom? Without clear connections and overlapping story elements, director Marc Webb leaves the movie spinning without any focus. Granted that as a comic book character Electro is no Venom, but considering how good the hero behind the makeup and computer-generated imagery is, the limited character development appears to be a waste 40 of talent on the writers’ part. Perhaps the MAY 18-24 2014
screen time allotted to Harry Osborne played by Dane DeHaan could have been better spent showing Electro’s slide to evil, making the transformation more believable. The same applies to Paul Giamatti’s Rhino, who will probably make an appearance in sequels as a more prominent character. The Peter Parker-Gwen Stacy storyline is well done and comes as a respite from the fight scenes, but even here, a chance to move Spider-Man into a more ‘human’ hero with real-world emotions and weaknesses is wasted. Anyone familiar with the ’70’s SpiderMan storyline will be stunned when they come across the twist in the storyline after which Peter’s teenage angst and some of his childish behaviour is largely brushed aside as opposed to in the comic book storyline. The amount of green screen involved in the action scenes also alienates the older viewer. Many superhero movies have avoided this by having a few action sequences with the hero out of costume, including the previous SpiderMan installments, but in this movie’s defense, that becomes difficult when the villain is a glowing electrical construct. Spider-Man is the unofficial mascot of
Marvel Comics, which makes it appropriate to compare it with DC Comic’s Superman, another financially successful movie that left most fans polarised. But where Superman won outright was setting a platform for character development in future movies. The most recent Marvel Comics movie Captain America: The Winter Soldier was also a phenomenal success because of the mix of comic book canon and original writing, leaving even loyal readers gasping in some scenes. In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, however, there are few, if any moments of awe. This might also be because Spider-Man (along with the X-Men) is not part of the main Marvel Cinematic Universe in which The Avengers and movies featuring the superhero team members all star. Unfortunately the licensing issues resulted in the comic book storylines losing their edge which cost the movie in the form of lost fans.T
Rating: Vaqas Asghar is an Islamabad-based senior subeditor for The Express Tribune. He tweets @vasghar
Hanging
Gardens
When pushed against a wall, grow a garden BY TAZEEN INAM DESIGN BY SANOBER AHMED
When living is restricted to small spaces, especially in an urban landscape, gardens and foliage are the first to get the axe. But decades ago, an American professor of landscape architecture, Stanley Hart White, devised a method to plant vegetation along vertical surfaces and patented the ‘green wall’ in 1938. Since then, vertical gardens have become a worldwide phenomenon as they are not only aesthetic but also reduce the temperature of the surroundings. A green wall quite literally consists of a wall that is lined with a combination of soil and liquid fertiliser or nutrient-enriched water, to support plant life. While complex vertical gardens need professional handling, for a smaller set-up one can purchase dirt panels embedded with upward-growing seeds, or a wrought iron trellis fixed with gardening pots. Plants are watered using a hose, but if they are hung too high, an automatic gravity system can be attached to a hose that allows water to drip down channels at the back of the pockets or trays. The space for a vertical garden should be wide enough and have adequate sun exposure to allow healthy plant growth. If edibles are planted in recycled containers, they should not have traces of toxicity. The more soil a container can hold, the bigger the plant it is able to support. PHOTO: EUNICE BAUERMEESTER
Pockets Pouches made of breathable, recycled material are attached to a wall in rows with metallic screws. A standard pocket measuring 12x20 inches may hold approximately 20-22 pounds of soil and carry both flowers and vegetables.
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PHOTO: SHELTERNESS.COM
PHOTO: EUNICE BAUERMEESTER
PHOTO: JESSICA HIBBARD ELENSTAR
Methods of designing a vertical garden
Trays Trays are usually made of plastic or fibre and are attached at an angle using brackets. They are perforated at the base to allow drainage and aeration. Succulents with shallow roots are best-suited for plantation in trays that are 2x2 inches deep, while larger ones measuring 4x4 inch can hold perennials and edibles.
Tazeen Inam has worked in the electronic media and freelances for various publications. MAY 18-24 2014
Pot Hangers Pot Hangers are clay, plastic or fibre pots that are clamped on to the wall using rust-resistant supports. Plastic bottles can also be used. The sizes of the pots may vary but using very big ones should be avoided, particularly those made of clay because they won’t withstand wind pressure. This method can be used to plant herbs, vegetables and flowers.