Vertical Gardens
Vertical Garden, Living Walls or Green Walls are a modern architectural phenomenon. The concept behind these gardens seems to be rooted in history and with many different systems for sale this modern gardening phenomena is within reach of many home gardeners.
Vertical gardens or Wall gardens have been around for a few years now, however as technology advances many new systems that are lighter weight and easier to install and maintain are coming onto the market.
Succulents have ben a favorite in older systems because they were the easiest however now herbs, ferns and grasses are all easy to grow in a vertical system.
Where can you install these systems ?
On any wall that is strong enough to hold them, or on their own support.
What about watering?
This depends on the system and the plants, the latest systems have a drip irrigation system that allows water to trickle down through the modules and then be recycled.
Consider using Tillandsias, Air Plants, excellent for a wall garden, require virtually no water and do not need feeding, the only drawback is that they can be slow to grow and a little more expensive than other plants.
With so many systems coming onto the market it is essential to research the benefits of each and the suitability for your application. Before installing or making a vertical garden, as well as costs consider :
- weight
- ease of installation
- watering
- maintenance
History of Vertical Garden construction.
The idea for a Living Walls probably springs from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, however a modern system is very different.
Plants in a Vertical Garden do not 'hang', they grow in a soilless, lightweight medium. Patrick Blanc is the inventor or the modern Green Wall. His 'mur vegetal' projects being the best known of modern Vertical gardens or Green Walls. The Vertical Garden has many benefits including being an attractive addition to modern building design. They are, space saving, they can efficient insulators and help reduce heat and noise and act as air purifiers or 'bio filters'. So Living Walls or 'Green Walls' can play a role in any architectural situation, from small home courtyards to large commercial buildings.
Watering Vertical Gardens
Many original systems were designed for succulent s which require very little watering or maintenance.
However newer installation and DIY Kits are now designed to suit drip irrigation systems a wider range of plants including herbs and ferns as well as flowering plants can easily be grown in a 'living green wall'.
Vertical garden systems differ greatly in the way that they are erected. Some will require wall for support as the hanging garden will tend to pull back due to built in flexibility. Other can be attached to posts or stands without this problem.
Some systems are modular, you can add in just about any direction seamlessly, others are a stand alone system that do not lend themselves readily to expansion.
Some systems are only suited to hand watering, other have built in drip irrigation systems that take the worry out of watering, however they usually cost more.
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