Vertical planting has obvious functions in the improvement of urban environment. In recent years, vertical planting has been promoted vigorously in Shanghai. However, the investigation and planning of vertical planting faces the difficulty in the mastering of current status and potential resources. In Shanghai, the application of high resolution remote sensing images has solved the above problem effectively. The practical applications in Shanghai show that remote sensing has many advantages as well as some limitations. Through analysis, some relative ways are given for the limitations of remote sensing.