I really love vertical gardens and green walls – they seem absolutely perfect for today’s society where space and land are at a premium.

Pont Max Juvénal, Aix-en-Provence, by Patrick Blanc

Here are a few living walls from around the world. Although these are all on a larger scale, I think they make great inspiration for home gardens, whether they be indoors or outside. Green walls are usually planted on a structure that holds them away from the wall in order prevent structural damage.

There are two different types of green walls. The first is the facade greening wall, which is a wall covered with a climbing plant, such as ivy, that is rooted in the ground. The second type of green wall is the living walls, which is a wall in which the plants are actually rooted into a growing medium along side the wall. This type of design requires a special irrigation system, generally an automated drip system fed from the rain water collected off the roof. I’m sure there are many irrigation systems that you could use for a smaller or indoor living wall.

Here are a few examples, most of which are living walls…clealy Patrick Blanc must be on to something, since he seems to be designing most of the large scale project.

living wall at the Museé du Quai Branly, by Patrick Blanc

BVH Homme facade in Paris, also by Patrick Blanc

And a few at home green walls made with kits from ELT Living Walls

So, yeah – in conclusion vertical walls are the bomb. Although I’ve been living in my apartment for oh, say, six months, I’m still not really moved in. Hopefully by the end of this summer I’ll have installed a vertical garden – most likely a living wall. Although perhaps I should have included planting a green wall on my list of new things to do?

If you’re going to plant a vertical garden or green wall check out ELT Living Walls as well as this article on the Building Design & Construction Network on 6 Things You Need to Know About Green Walls.

if you liked this you might also like…

• Wall Flower
• Paula Hayes Design
• Garden Inspiration
• Covet: Plum Pretty Sugar
• Green is the New Black (kind of)