How to Make A Plant Wall (Living Wall)

Published: November 16, 2024
Last Updated: November 29, 2024

Most people might not have heard of a living wallPlant Wall A plant wall is a wall space which contains many plants or shrubs. This wall can be arranged in any number of ways depending on the desired effect. This design is a return to the classic indoor jungle aesthetic of the 1970's combined with an interest in biophilic design. With a rich variety of textures, colours, shades, and air purification benefits, it is a trend that has huge growth potential. Other names: Living Wall or a plant wallPlant Wall A plant wall is a wall space which contains many plants or shrubs. This wall can be arranged in any number of ways depending on the desired effect. This design is a return to the classic indoor jungle aesthetic of the 1970's combined with an interest in biophilic design. With a rich variety of textures, colours, shades, and air purification benefits, it is a trend that has huge growth potential. Other names: Living Wall. Would you like to learn how to make a plant wall? In this article, I walk you through some of the pros and cons of a living wall and why you might want to consider getting one in your indoor or outdoor spaces.

What is a Living Wall

What it is not:

It is most definitely not a hedge grown around a property. While a hedge plant growing around a property could be considered living, and could be considered a wall, it is not a living wall in the way we define it from a diversity of plant-life perspective. That “living wall” is actually just a hedge. It could be beautiful. It could be tall or short, but it is just a hedge.

What it is:

It is definitely a collection of plants in a predetermined arrangement. It is a most noticeable by its bio-diversity. You have many plants making up the feature which is called the plant wall or living wall. The plant wall or living wall, terms I use interchangeably, is making its comeback due to humans natural desire to want to bring the biodiversity of nature closer to our man-made surroundings. Some of the components which make up a living wall are as follows:

A wall structure or vertical structure to hold the plant-life
A container system to hold the plants (felt material, plastic, wood, trellis, etc)
A watering system if very large as smaller walls can be watered by hand
Ax extra nutrient feeding mechanism as the limited growing medium is used up in the season

Now you have an idea about what a living wall is and you can probably identify a living by the the components listed.

History of Living Walls

Let’s get into a little bit of the history of the living wall or plant wall.

Living walls can trace their roots back to the 1970’s desire to create the indoor jungle aesthetic. This return to the interest in biophilic designbiophilic design Biophilic design is an architectural approach that seeks to reconnect people with nature by integrating natural elements, materials, and processes into the built environment. This design philosophy recognizes the innate human desire for nature, known as biophilia, and aims to foster beneficial contact between people and nature in modern buildings and landscapes. is an intrinsic part of human nature. The more we as a society embrace man-made structures and materials, the more we crave to bring nature back into our life but under our controlled settings.

Our earliest history with living walls could be our ancient ancestors who dwelled in caves near forests. The forest natural structure would provide a living wall near the entrance of the cave or primitive dwelling structures. After that we can look to more advanced ancient civilizations such as the Babylonians who had the hanging gardens. The Hanging Gardens of BabylonHanging Gardens of Babylon The hanging gardens of Babylon are one of the seven wonders of the world. Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Hanging-Gardens-of-Babylon being one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

As people in civilizations developed, the living wall became a status symbol of a person’s wealth and capability during all ages. The rich could afford living walls around their castle walls or have decorative hedges within the castle estates. In all ages, it seems that the poor has had neither the opportunity nor the means to incorporate a living wall into their meagre day-to-day lives. During the Victoria Age houseplants and climbing plants became a thing again.

The first living wall in Canada was built in the Canada Life building in Toronto in 1994. It was a a collaboration between a division of Ontario Centres of Excellence Inc (CRESTech) and the University of Guelph. The success of this endeavor would lead others to pick up interest in it for large commercial venues. Yay Canada, going on 30+ years promoting Living Walls!

This leads us to today. With the widespread knowledge of environment concerns and the relative inexpensiveness of materials due to modern manufacturing processes, it is possible for the poor or middle class family to create a living wall to suit their lifestyle and budget. Yes, you, in the here and now, can create your own living wall that would make your great-great-grandparent absolutely jealous of your abundance!

Benefits & Advantages of Knowing How To Make A Plant Wall

In today’s modern society there are really no barriers to making your own plant wall or living wall. If you have a little imagination, a little resourcefulness, and a little grit and determination, you too can have your very own plant wall. Before you jump right into it let’s look at some of the benefits and advantages of a plant wall.

You’re super smart: Most people are under the impression that building a plant wall takes a lot of intelligence so the fact that you have one in your home or office that you construction already lets your peers know that you are of a higher intellect. It makes an impression about you without you having to do anything for yourself.
You care about the environment: Today, the environment is a big concern. Having more green spaces like gardens, raised beds, and even a plant wall shows that you are a person who cares about the environment and actually puts your money where your mouth is. It is a mark of perceived virtue for you which is well deserved if you actually do take the time to create a living wall.
You’re able to afford it: Keeping plants can be as expensive or as cheap as you want to make it. Some of the elaborate living walls could cost tens of thousands of dollars to create while a simple homemade plant wall might only cost a few hundred. The thing is, the plants don’t care whether they were sold for $2 or $2000. They’ll still look their very best if you give them the necessary tools for successful growth. However, you can look richer than you are just by doing the living wall correctly.
You’re in the company of beauty: The saying is that things of a certain nature tend to stay together. From olden days those with more culture and affluence gravitated to beautiful lawns, hedges, and living walls. As you might expect, it took more effort and resources to maintain those back then. Yet to be drawn to beauty is natural. You can be around beautiful plants and also consider yourself a member of a beautiful group of humans.
It Cleans The Air: A living wall inside a living space can help to decrease the carbon dioxide content inside the space while increasing the oxygen content. This means you have a living air purifier and enrichment system in the inside space. This can add a freshness inside the home or office space that will help you to feel better.
Competitive Edge over Competition: Any business or commercial space immediately feels 1000% more richer by the addition of a living wall to the lobby or somewhere on the premises. Any university or college that makes use of living walls gives of a feeling of prestige and richness within its environment. There is no denying the value-added goodwill and positive vibes that a living wall will add to any commercial venture.
It is good for mental health: During the pandemic of 2022, many people felt the stress of forced social isolation. Humans are social creatures and need touch/contact for extra joy and happiness. Looking at a plant wall or just touching the leaves and flowers brought joy back into the lives of many people who felt lonely due to social isolation. In this article about beating social isolation we noted that a highschool created a living wall for the benefits of students and teachers.

Beat Social Isolation With Your Garden

Pitfalls & Disadvantages of Having A Plant Wall

I’ve given you seven fantastic reasons to have a living wall in your life. If I only painted you a rosie picture of what it means to have a plant wall or living wall, I’d be doing you a disservice. You should also know some of the potential disadvantages of them.

You need to water often: If you decided on a cheaper version of the living wall, then prepare yourself for water work. You’ll have to regularly moisten the grow material and the grow medium. It may mean watering daily, every other day, or even a few times per week. If you have a larger wall with an automated watering system, then you’ll be able to avoid that extra work.
Need to replaced regularly: Depending on the type of plants you use, you may need to replace them periodically when they die and you swap in another living piece. Sometimes the plant roots can outgrow the space they’re in and you’ll either have to take them out and cut back the roots, or get a new plant with fresh grow medium to replace the empty spot. If the living wall is outside, then plant are more impacted by weather condition so beware.
Additional expenses of maintaining the plants: A simple living wall with less than a dozen plants can be very inexpensive to maintain. As you get more intricated and more complicated, you’ll have more expense of adding water, buying plant nutrients to feed the plants, electricity to run water pumps, and other smaller costs. If it’s a corporate investment, then it is value added to the business but if you’re doing it personally, make sure you take into account these extra costs.
Plants can really add up: Buying a dozen seedlings at a nursery is a lot cheaper than buying 150 seedlings for a large scale living wall. And if you wanted to get really fancy and switch out summer blooming plants with fall blooming plants, then the money can add up. It also a lot of manpower to replace 150 seedling manually.

How To Make A Plant Wall On The Cheap

I hope the disadvantages I listed above did not discourage you. You see, there are many more benefits to having a living wall than there are disadvantages. If you’d like to take a try at making your very own living wall, let’s walkthrough the planning and design and building process below.

Design Considerations

What are your motives?

Are you attempting to make a big impression? Are you trying to impress clients, the neighbors, or do you have a special event coming up like a party, or wedding? Maybe you’re just doing it for your own personal enjoyment or maybe it is a status symbol that is important for you at this time. Maybe you or a family member is suffering with social isolation and this is something you need for mental health benefits. Write down your motive because that will help you in all the other area of this project.

Do you want to make a big impressive splash?
Do you just want something to help improve mental health?
Is it just for a special event or will it be ongoing?
Do you want lots of colour and variety or just a few?
Do you want a complicated living wall or very simple living wall?

Cost Considerations

How big is your budget for this project?

A living wall is not a free project. However you can find a living wall to fit a small budget or a large budget. You can have a small living wall with a few crawling plants. If your budget small, you can start with a design that is basic but which leaves room for later expansion.

Do you have a big budget or a small budget?
How much will you spend on infrastructure?
How much will you spend on living plants?

Time Considerations

How much time do you have for this project?

Your amount of time allocated for the building for the living wall will influence how grandiose it can be. If you’re having in party in a week then your wall better be easy to build and populate. If your time frame is long term then you can spend more time to build it out. After it is completed, will you have time allocated to the proper care and maintenance of the plant wall?

Do you have time allocated for the build?
Do you have time allocated for the care and maintenance of the plant wall?

Quality and Variety Considerations

How much variety are you trying to achieve?

It is possible to have a living plant wall made up of 3 to 4 plant species. This is as basic as you can go if you’re looking to keep it as simple as possible. Some people create floral patterns and colourful designs such as waves or banners. The more use of colours and varieties means the more complexity your wall will take on. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It depends on the message and your motive for the wall.

Do you want to basic with 3 to 4 plants?
Do you want to create a colour piece like a painting made of living plants?

D-I-Y Skill Level

How handy are you?

Making a plant wall can be a great experience for the intermediate to advanced gardener. A new or novice gardenhome garden A designated area around a residential property where individuals cultivate plants, fruits, vegetables, or ornamental plants for personal use. It comprises a farming system that combines physical, social, and economic functions on the area of land around a family home, providing a sustainable source of food and other benefits for the household, extended family, and friends. might find the complexity a bit overwhelming depending on the scale of the living wall. If it feels overwhelming, then get help from a professional landscaper or company that specializes in plant walls. If you’re doing a basic one then get books on designs that can help you or look at a few videos.

Are you handy to handle a small living wall design?
Do you need to call a professional to help with implementation?

Conclusion

In conclusion, putting in a living wall or plant wall is something that is worthwhile as it can add value to any living space. With modern techniques and cheap and available resources, now is the time for every home gardener to try their hand at making a living wall. If you do make one, come back and let us know about it.

Until next time, continue to learn and grow,

References

[1] https://wallemi.com/projects/

[2] https://westnipissing.com/living-wall-aims-to-uplift-students/