The objectives of this study were to assess plant growth of the flowering shrub species for adapting to growing on hanging baskets in the vertical greenery system with different cover materials and substrates for low maintenance effectively utilizing rainfall. Water amount taken up by the fabric cover was higher than that by the plastic film cover. Evaporated water amount from the fabric cover was much slower than that from the plastic cover. A higher ratio of hydrophilic polymer to the substrate resulted in higher substrate water content within the same cover material. The relative growth rates of plant height, leaf width and stem diameter were higher when the Cotoneaster horizontal was grown in the vertical greenery system with the fabric cover, whereas the leaf number and survival rate were higher with the plastic film cover. The relative growth rates of plant height, leaf width and leaf number and the survival rate was higher when the Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald n Gold’ was grown in the vertical greenery system with plastic film cover than those with both fabric cover and hydrophilic polymer treatment. In contrast, the stem diameter of Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald n Gold’ was higher in the plants grown in the vertical greenery system with the fabric cover at a 1.0% ratio of hydrophilic polymer to substrate than that with plastic film cover. The highest stem diameter of Spiraea × bumalda ‘Gold Mound’ was observed in the plant grown in the vertical greenery system with fabric cover and at a 1.0% ratio of hydrophilic polymer to substrate, while there was no significant difference in the plant height. The leaf number was decreased with increase in the ratio of hydrophilic polymer to substrate, while the leaf width was decreased. The survival rate of Spiraea × bumalda ‘Gold Mound’ was higher than 80% regardless of treatments. In particular, the highest survival rate was observed in the plastic film cover treatment after overwintering.