Saturday, March 10, 2012

Green Walls and Vertical Gardening...not just for the outdoors.

Just had to do a quick post to show off our latest project at work:

Bromeliads, prayers plants, pothos 'Neon,' and holly ferns. Photo courtesy of Green Connection.

Yup, it's a green wall full of house plants. Cool, eh? This system, made by ASI, works fairly well and is the most affordable and attractive set up we've found so far. And because the plants are still in their individual pots, it's a very flexible set up, easy to switch things around if you want a different look or if a particular plant isn't doing well. 

Maintenance is simple: each plant has a wick running from the bottom of the grow pot, which rests in the tray. Fill the trough with water and the soil slowly wicks it up as needed. Every once in a while we have to readjust one of the wicks, but so far things are doing nicely.

Here's another one I designed:

Peace lilies, liriope, philodendron 'Limelight,' and holly ferns. Photo courtesy of Green Connection.
Can you tell my tastes run in the "crazy wild plant explosion" direction? The client actually ended up not liking this one, and we replaced everything with all one type of plant. But who cares what they think, right? Silly boring corporate-minded office people. Give me exploding plants any day.

Anyhoo, while green walls were previously limited to corporate settings and those with large incomes, there are now models, like the one above, that are relatively affordable and making their way into residences. If you have good light in your home and really want to make a statement, living art could be the thing for you. 

7 comments:

  1. I have considered doing these outside in the summer. I have seen several made out of over the door shoe holders but I have hesitated just thinking of what the water could do to my wall! Suggestions?

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    1. I would love to see it if you do this! The over the door shoe holder is a cool idea...you could do lettuces and herbs, or flowers. How fun! If you are worried about water damage, try lining the back with 6 mil plastic. Water will still drip onto the wall below the actual planting space, but as long as you get a good bit of sunlight on the wall you shouldn't have to worry about mildew. (I think...I'm not a building materials expert.) Good luck!

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  2. That first one is really eye-catching! Normally I like my plants wild, too, but in my house, I have more of a tailored style. And now you need to post a how-to for us! I love the idea of living art.

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    1. Sometimes in the house we have to keep things orderly out of necessity! I'll try to do a how-to post at some point. Thanks for the comment!

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  3. what is that orange and green plant in the first picture. I love it. this is such a fun thing to do. I look forward to trying it. thanks

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    1. It's a neoregelia bromliad! (Also known as a Blushing Bromeliad.) Bromos are such cool plants, and easy to take care of, too. They don't last forever, unfortunately, but they'll give you several months of color before they go. They also come in pink, purple, orange, yellow...all sorts of colors!

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