Topic: Living walls
Industry Expert: Ronnie van Voorst
Garden Centre: Impala Nursery
Find out what our industry expert, Ronnie from Impala Nursery, has to say about growing a flourishing living wall for your home, office, or school. Whether you are interested in unique art, employee wellness, environmentalism, or space-saving – vertical gardening has benefits for everyone to enjoy.
1.Could you please describe what a living wall is and is not?
A vertical garden is a wonderfully creative way to showcase nature both in and outdoors. Living walls bring instant calm to the soul while uplifting one’s mood and cultivating overall psychological wellbeing. Also known as green walls, they contain real, living and breathing plants installed vertically against any structure that can support the plants (walls, fences or gates). Living walls are not dust collectors and are not filled with faux plants.
2.What’s all the fuss about vertical growing? What makes a green wall so special?
Going vertical saves on floor space, and when you need more plants in your life, why not go up? It also saves you from weeding and breaking your back while bending over in the garden. Green walls are special as they become living works of art. The different plants grouped together create a stunning vertical tapestry with a personality of its own.
3.What would you say are the most important factors that ensure a healthy living wall?
Make sure you have these inputs in place - water, light, nutrients (food), and air. Firstly, using appropriate plants for the position of the wall. Secondly, watering cycles should match the plants' own requirements - one wouldn’t water a succulent in the full sun the same way one would a fern indoors. Finally, a little bit of love in the form of maintenance, like removing dead leaves to make way for new growth or a sprinkle of fertiliser.
4. Is it true that vertical growing is difficult and high maintenance?
Not at all. Vertical gardening has come a long way over the years and there are systems that can be fully automated with minimal maintenance. With the right plants established, a living wall is very easy to care for.
5. Where would be the best place to install a living wall? Is it more practical to have one at the office or in your home?
Both are practical. Nowadays, many companies choose to invest in their employee’s wellness. Plants work as humidifiers, assist with temperature control, improve air quality, and produce fresh oxygen. All these benefits lead to employees being more awake, able to think clearer, concentrate for longer, and breathe quality air. These benefits then lead to less sick leave and overall increased productivity in the workplace (not to mention something beautifully organic to admire). With more people working from home, green walls would be a great investment for a family’s well-being. Even a smaller version of a vertical garden in the form of ‘living pictures’ (plants inside wooden frames) will go a long way in reaping these benefits.
6. How would a gardener decide on what plants to use?
Think about the space for roots and leaves when choosing plants. For indoors, I would suggest slow-growing plants with varying colours and textures. Be sure to include some plants that are well-known for their air-purifying properties. For outdoor living walls, plants that fill their space uniformly are important. A 3-D look may be very pleasing to the eye but one doesn’t want plants to totally outgrow those around them.
7. Where would be the best place to install a living wall? Is it more practical to have one at the office or in your home?
Both are practical. Nowadays, many companies choose to invest in their employee’s wellness. Plants work as humidifiers, assist with temperature control, improve air quality, and produce fresh oxygen. All these benefits lead to employees being more awake, able to think clearer, concentrate for longer, and breathe quality air. These benefits then lead to less sick leave and overall increased productivity in the workplace (not to mention something beautifully organic to admire). With more people working from home, green walls would be a great investment for a family’s well-being. Even a smaller version of a vertical garden in the form of ‘living pictures’ (plants inside wooden frames) will go a long way in reaping these benefits.
8. How would a gardener decide on what plants to use?
Think about the space for roots and leaves when choosing plants. For indoors, I would suggest slow-growing plants with varying colours and textures. Be sure to include some plants that are well-known for their air-purifying properties. For outdoor living walls, plants that fill their space uniformly are important. A 3-D look may be very pleasing to the eye but one doesn’t want plants to totally outgrow those around them.
9. What should gardeners watch out for once their green wall is established? Are there any pests or challenges you have experienced?
One could lookout for the usual suspects as house and outdoor plants might have certain pests or funguses specific to the variety. Common indoor pests include mealybugs, brown scale, aphids, the common whitefly, fungus gnats, and thrips.
There you have it, vertical gardeners! We hope that you are well inspired and informed by our living wall expert. Head down to your nearest Garden Centre to find all the plants mentioned above and a whole lot more that will be perfect additions to your new project. Pots, potting soil, fertilisers, and pest control solutions are also available at this gorgeous garden centre.
