Living Walls
Since the invention by Frenchman Patrick Blanc, vertical gardens have increasingly become an attractive space saving feature in all home and office environments.
Built either outside or inside, these eye catching applications provide an ideal alternative when space and efficiency is a must. With little maintenance required and performance a guarantee, vertical walls or as I like to refer to them as, ‘living walls’, are a great option for growing plants such as herbs, flowers, succulents and even small veggies. Your only limitation is your Imagination!
Built either outside or inside, living walls have a number of benefits both for the environment and for human comfort and aesthetics. The obvious plus factor here, is the aesthetic appeal and uniqueness a living wall can provide, however these brilliant applications also allow a functional service by protecting against environmental influences such as temperature fluctuations and air quality both inside and out. Other benefits include:
Reduction in ambient air temperature which if placed on existing house wall, will reduce air conditioning usage.
Maximizing surface area through increased planting capacities such as fences and walls.
Improvement in air quality through the natural filtration and absorption of dust particles and pollution.
Beautification of outdoor spaces through aesthetically pleasing views while creating a microclimate in your garden.
As mentioned, vertical green walls have a plethora of uses but generally for private outdoor spaces, they assist in drawing attention to a particular area or screen what could be an unattractive or undesirable view in your garden.
There are a variety of different systems out in the market from simple wall installations covered with climbing plants, to specially designed modular systems that are supported vertically and consist of lightweight growing media which has the flexibility to create a tapestry of beautiful colour and texture. For any planting system to work effectively, a reliable water supply is a must and for these particular planting systems an automated, direct reticulation system is needed in order to maintain functionality and longevity. Some of the pre-formed vertical systems have irrigation options incorporated into the product but if you intend on designing and creating your own system, give some thought to the water and drainage needs.
There is also great diversity in the methods used in order to create a vertical wall in your own outdoor space. Some options include growing plants in a ‘no soil’ alternative, whereby the roots grow into felt and source their water and fertilizer needs through an evenly distributed feeding system. Another option is to plant in individual pots that can be then placed on a steel frame. As flexible as a vertical garden may be, it is important to think carefully about the location of your Living Wall; look at light and growing conditions and consider plant requirements. Maintenance will be required in ways of pruning, weeding, replacing wilted plants and maybe even dusting depending on the location. Some features and tips to consider when constructing vertical walls are:
Anchor your vertical wall structure in place before planting out as this assists with less disturbance on the plants roots or stems.
A stable structure is a must for heavily weighted or demanding plants.
Like any other plant in your garden, location is a considerable factor not just for the plants in the vertical wall structure but also for plants in the vicinity of your wall, as tall structures can cast shadows on other plants causing them to possibly wilt and die.
Plants grow differently. Do your homework and investigate if the plants you have chosen will work effectively with other plant types and what the growing times are if purchasing immature varieties.
It is important to water and fertilize frequently as plants that are grown vertically don’t have the opportunity to feed the same way plants that are supported in a ground environment do.
If placing your vertical garden on a wall or fence, check to see how much sun the structure receives throughout the varied seasons as some walls bake in summer and could then be in total shaded in winter. Some plants can cope with this stress but it’s always good to do your homework first.
An area with gentle filtered shade or morning sun/afternoon shade is an ultimate scenario as it provides you with a variety of plant choices.
A big no no is the use of garden soil. It will set like cement between watering’s, causing your structure to be unnecessarily heavy. Buy good quality potting mix and add (50:50) lightweight perlite, vermiculite and the like.
As the trend or vogue of vertical green walls continues, the numerous options for construction of these systems will grow. One of the easiest systems is to buy a readymade kit or if you are a DIY kind of person, set up your own system using whatever you can get your hands on or buying materials from your local hardware store.
The space efficiency that vertical green walls provides allows for the opportunity for beautiful gardens to be planted no matter what your style of outdoor living area and with newly developed systems coming on the market daily, the opportunities for this effective style of gardening is endless.
No video selected.
