A living wall, also known as a vertical garden or green wall, is the ultimate blending of nature and art. It's most often used in grand design gestures, like covering the front of city buildings or for display in commercial spaces, like airports or hotels. While living walls have grown in popularity in the past 30 years thanks to the botanist Patrick Blanc, its origins go back as far as biblical times.
What Is a Living Wall?
The definition of a living wall is vast. An ivy-covered brick home like William Eubank's Tennessee home is considered just as much a living wall as Patrick Blanc's facade on a Paris street.
Plants must attach and grow to a form of substrate that provides nutrients. In the case of the classic English garden home, a hardy plant like ivy can thrive on stones or bricks with very little nutrients. Most plant varieties aren't capable of this and require more direct contact to soil. Smaller-scale vertical gardens usually adapted for home use are constructed with felt matting attached to a frame with gridded pockets that can be filled with soil. For larger complicated projects that may require detailed installation, irrigation setups, and unique design layouts, it may be best to leave it to the professionals. Companies like LiveWall have very informative websites and welcome custom projects.
History of the Living Wall
The infamous Hanging Gardens of Babylon was constructed at the foot of the Euphrates River just outside of present-day Baghdad, Iraq. King Nebuchadnezzar II built the gardens as a gift to Median Queen Amytis as she missed the foliage and mountains of her childhood homeland.
Considered one the the earliest known feats in vertically irrigated gardening, tiered levels contained a jungle of trees, plants, and vines, all connected with a sophisticated water irrigation system. While a romantic notion, the garden itself may not have functioned as we consider vertical gardens today. Its foundation was most likely in mounds of dirt as rooftop gardens and, over time, the lushness grew to create the appearance of hanging. Nevertheless, the idea took hold in the imagination of botanists starting in the early 20th century and was fully resurrected by Patrick Blanc in the late '90s. Blanc is now considered the godfather of living walls and integrated the concept with modern design aesthetics.
Elements to Consider When Planning a Live Wall
Whether indoors or outdoors, consider the location of your proposed wall. Does the area receive enough daily sunlight? North-facing walls will stay in the shade throughout most of the day, while south-facing ones will receive full sunlight. East or west walls will receive partial sun. The location of the wall will help narrow down the plant selection that will flourish. More often than not, indoor walls will require a source of artificial lighting.
Plant selection is key to the longevity of your design. Work with a local nursery to determine the best plants for your climate. Annual plants will offer brighter colors and more variety, but they will have to be replanted every year. Perennials will require less maintenance and come back for years, but these plants allow less room for creativity. Shallow root plants such as herbs and succulents make for excellent choices in most climates. Tropical plants are also popular choices but are better suited to warmer climates in the winter months.
Consistent watering is one of the key elements to keeping your vertical garden alive. Even smaller hand-watered designs require diligent attention. The type of irrigation used also depends on the construction of the wall. Some smaller felt options require watering from the top that can trickle down to the rest of the plants. Other engineered systems have irrigation throughout the design. Deciding on the size of the project and the level of maintenance you are willing to do will help you in decide the best method of wall construction.
Planting and Foliage Design
Transplanting smaller plants is typically easier than starting from seed. This will also allow you to get a feel for the overall design and make changes if necessary. Be wary of overcrowding. Just like planting a normal garden, plants will need space to grow and spread out to their fullest glory.
It's a good idea to have a plan in mind before you start planting. Consider the size and color of plants at full growth and how different textures and heights will work together. It's a game of trial and error, but plants can be easily replaced if something dies or does not work together aesthetically.
Living walls have become very popular in cities where space is limited and people crave a greener environment. They also serve as fantastic insulation, improve air quality, and reduce noise pollution. If you are interested in living walls but are not ready for the time, engineering, and financial commitment just yet, start out with a kit.