The EcoWall® > Vertical Garden Basics

Vertical gardens utilize a building’s façade, otherwise rendered irrelevant for most plant life, to support lush plant growth on the sides and interiors of buildings, concrete walls, and other structures.   There are two basic types of living walls: green facades and green walls.

Green Facades are created by a network of support cables and lattices.  These green walls utilize conventional vining plant material.  The plants are rooted in the ground/ soil/ planters and trained to grow up the supporting cables.

Green Walls are complex biologic systems which support a diverse group of plants by providing proper nutrients solution and rooting media for the plants to grow from the building façade.

Green wall systems incorporate:

1.  Plant Material:  plants selections are site-specific and determined by light availability, location, size, color, texture, and growth habits. 
   
   
2.  Planting Matrix: medium for the plants to root and anchor onto a vertical surface.  These can be in the form of organics, such as soil, or inorganics like plastics or synthetic fibers.
   
   
3.  Irrigation System: To supply the plants with water and nutrients for proper growth.
   
   
4.  Waterproof Barrier: To protect the building’s façade from moisture.
   
   
5.  Structural Support: For supporting the structural load of the vertical garden system onto the building façade.
   
   
6. Lighting: To supply plants with sufficient lighting to photosynthesize and promote natural growth habits.  Lighting can either be supplied by a natural source (the sun) or artificial source (metal halide, High-Pressure sodium, and LED lights).