Defense for Design

Guide to Creating a Living Plant Wall

Whoever thinks a garden must be horizontal may be missing out on a whole lot of gorgeous greenery. A verdant vertical
plant wall can literally enliven an outdoor or indoor space, serving as an alternative or complement to art forms that
traditionally hang in the home. Living plant walls can be of different sizes, shapes, and formats (such as freestanding or
double-sided), adding dramatic depth, color, and texture.

In addition to their beauty, living walls may bring mental and even physical benefits to the people exposed to them.
Initially appearing in public spaces, they’ve caught on as a residential design element; apartment dwellers with limited
access to a traditional garden or houseplants may be especially intrigued by these amazing murals. Ahead, some
specifics on creating a living wall, including the right light, framework, and plants, so you can get in on this growing
trend.

What is a Living Plant Wall?

Unlike a brick building exterior covered in climbing ivy, a living plant wall (also known as a green wall or a vertical
garden) has growing medium built into the structure to support vegetation.

Larger versions will have a recirculating or direct irrigation system also incorporated into the housing—there are even
smart, and active green walls tended automatically via technology—while more modest residential versions can be
watered manually, just as you would care for potted plants. A variety of low-maintenance plants may be combined, so as
lush and impressive as they look, living walls needn’t be a lot of work.

Benefits of a Plant Wall

A green wall can do much more than provide delightful natural décor. Exterior versions can serve as insulation and
temperature control for buildings, potentially conserving energy.

The technology in a smart and active interior green wall can help purify the air, a boon in public places. Yet even a
modest vertical garden can offer “biophilic” effects—improving mood, reducing stress, combating fatigue, and increasing
productivity.
Understanding Growth Media

Like all plant projects, vertical gardens need a stable, supportive medium to grow in. The four types of growth media for
green walls are loose (a mix of soil, stone, and water-packed into containers), mat (often made of coir or felt), inorganic
polyurethane sheets (sturdier than coir and felt), and structural (a combination of loose and mat media, usually
employed in large-scale projects).

Allocating Ample Light

All plants require light for photosynthesis—their process of producing the chemical energy that fuels them. If adding a
green wall as an interior design element, choose a room that gets bright, indirect natural light from a window or skylight;
supplementary illumination from grow lights may also be needed, depending on the plants you put in.

Selecting a System

As the popularity of vertical gardens grows, so do the number of suppliers. Companies include LiveWall, Articulture,
and The Little Botanical, which specializes in PlantBox cubes that users stack and arrange as desired. Ambitious DIYers
can purchase and assemble panels or modules—or even build housing from scratch out of such materials as wood,
plastic, chicken wire, and landscaping fabric—and hook up an irrigation system to the home’s water supply if desired.
There are also ways to simulate the look of a green wall: Those on a budget can purchase a hanging wall with breathable
felt baskets for a nominal sum, or simply fill a vinyl shoe organizer with air plants (Tillandsia), which absorb moisture and
nutrients through their leaves, rather than roots. Another way to fake it is to arrange potted plants with spreading
foliage densely on open shelving.
Picking Perfect Plants for Your Living Plant Wall

Adding a vertical garden to an outdoor space enhances the sense of being surrounded by nature. Growers can select
from annuals, perennials, or even edibles that suit their geographic growing zone for exterior living walls. If the living
wall is an interior design element, evergreen houseplants will look great every season.

Favorites include fast-growing philodendron (Philodendron sp.), pothos (Epipremnum), and ferns such as medusa
(Nephrolepis obliterata). Herbs are an ideal option for the kitchen; a combo of sage, cilantro, and thyme, for instance,
can thrive in a sunny cook space. For best results with interesting textural appeal, opt for a few plants with different
growth patterns (cascading, climbing, and spreading, say) that have similar light, temperature, and moisture needs.

7 HEALTH BENEFITS OF VERTICAL GARDENS

Would you like to enjoy nature from inside your home, office, or other indoor space?
Think vertical gardens, a sustainable way to bring the outside in. Vertical Gardens are a wonderful trend in sustainable
architecture that can add beauty and functionality to both indoor and outdoor spaces.

However, they are definitely not just wallflowers. Instead, vertical gardens play an important role in improving our
health and wellbeing as well as improving the environment.

Here are the 7 most important benefits of vertical gardens:

Benefits for humans

Improve your physical and mental health

Plants counteract respiratory diseases and improve cardiovascular problems by producing oxygen and
purifying the air which reduces issues like breathing problems and blood pressure. They provide protection
against diseases and/allergies caused by harmful gases by reducing local pollen exposure. They help prevent
coughs since plants increase the humidity in the air, which moisturizes the mucous membranes, throat, and
skin.As for mental benefits, it is well known that vertical gardens improve concentration and mood, reduce
stress by providing a sense of relaxation, not to mention the visual relief they offer when contemplated.

Improved space

A vertical garden is definitely a unique way to have your own urban garden or to arrange plants, and it also
acts as a decorative element that brings a touch of nature to your spaces.If you have a vertical garden in your
workspace, your productivity will improve.Plants definitely have a positive effect on all human beings. In a
recent study by Princeton University, 90% of employees stated that plants help their satisfaction at work.We
specialize in enhancing the interior and exterior spaces, including courtyards,balconies, back yards,
commercial projects, and public spaces.

Environmental benefits

Improvement of air quality

The plants in a vertical garden filter particles from the air and convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. One
square meter of plant space will generate the equivalent of a year’s supply of oxygen for a human and trap
130g of dust. As for which types of plants to go for indoors, succulents, grasses, and perennial shrubs thrive
in small spaces, as do ferns and herbs.

Insulate your building

Vertical gardens also act as thermal insulators, this green solution lowers thetemperature inside a building by
up to five degrees, which means that less airconditioning is required, therefore saving energy.

Reduce noise pollution

Plants in vertical gardens are capable of absorbing up to 50% of the noise generatedin a large city. Noise can
be reduced by up to 10 decibels, which offers great healthbenefits. In fact, a vertical garden has the capacity
to absorb 41% more noise than atraditional frontage.

Increase biodiversity

The plants in a vertical garden will promote habitat for birds, butterflies, andinsects, especially in an urban
environment. In general, urban ecosystems promotethe habitat of more species within a city, helping to
increase the biodiversity of theenvironment.

Save water

A vertical garden absorbs rainwater through plants, becoming a natural water reserve. This slows the
discharge of rain into the sewer system, purifies the rainwater, and also puts water back into the ecosystem
through evaporation. All this helps stabilize the groundwater level, reduces the peak load on the sewage
system, and reduces the risk of flooding.Vertical gardens are becoming a more common feature and for
many, a way of life.Large cities are adopting the use of them more, not just for their visual benefits butto
balance out the urban landscape and improve health and sustainability.
A green wall can do much more than provide delightful natural décor. Exterior versions can serve as insulation and
temperature control for buildings, potentially conserving energy.

The technology in a smart and active interior green wall can help purify the air, a boon in public places. Yet even a
modest vertical garden can offer “biophilic” effects—improving mood, reducing stress, combating fatigue, and increasing
productivity.