Another glorious day of sunshine in beautiful Sydney (recently rated the third most expensive city in the world to live in.....). I'm sure with all the cold weather and torrential rain of the past two weeks many of us would gladly have given up Sydney for warmer pastures!
But the sun is shining and it's nice to be able to get outside in the garden or out on the balcony and see how everything has stood up to the wind, cold weather and rain!!! And I have to say....everything looks surprisingly healthy! It's lovely to be able to have a few pots for some colour and greenery when you live in an apartment; but imagine if you could have an entire wall filled with garden that flourished year round and wasn't affected by the weather. The perfect solution for indoors or out; a 'vertical garden'.
A vertical garden is just that; a garden that uses a vertical surface for planting. It makes a wonderful use of space in a beautiful and unexpected way.
In a vertical garden a combination of plants are used add colour, pattern and texture to what is essentially a flat vertical surface. Plants are chosen for their variations in foliage texture and colour, the size of their leaves and the way the might hang or drape, to create a living tapestry; a living work of art!
The pictures above show how effective garden walls can be in both exterior and interior applications. On the top, diagonal bands of foliage decorate the walls of a courtyard surrounding a swimming pool. Below, a sleek modern interior is accentuated by a living sculpture of green which is cleverly back-lit, making this a focal point in the room.
French botanist Patrick Blanc popularised his modern ideas and versions of green walls or 'Le Mur Végétal' in the 1980's. Check out his website at www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com for interesting facts and pictures of this botanic artists works. It's interesting to note that the first concept of the vertical garden was suggested by a Professor Stanley Hart White at the University of Illinois in 1938, who patented the first vertical garden as 'Vegetation-Bearing Architectonic Structure and System'. However, it was Patrick Blanc who revolutionised the idea, integrating it's use into modern design and architecture.
The idea has been used internally to create a calm and reflective environment where people can relax and be pampered, such as the 'spa' zone in the Qantas First Class Lounge at Sydney international Airport, pictured below.
Quite often used externally as a feature to soften a wall, the concept has grown to cover entire buildings! The Central Park complex under construction in Sydney's Chippendale is a collaboration between Patrick Blanc and Paris architects Ateliers Jean Nouvel. This complex will be a dramatic masterpiece, a living tapestry that will change colour with the seasons and be covered in an exotic skin of buds, flowers, leaves and vines that will soar 150m into the air, transforming the Sydney skyline.
To see more images of this ground-breaking development and read about the design and concepts of the vertical gardens go to www.centralparksydney.com
The concept has also been used to great affect in Singapore's Changi Airport, below
the Icon Hotel in Hong Kong and the Sofitel Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, below.
If you'd like to create a vertical garden of your own there are many ways to go about it. A google search will bring up a variety of images and information about the types of kits available so that you can create your own green wall. 'Gro-Wall Vertical Garden Systems' is a product that is available in Australia There is even a system called the 'Wooley Pocket' which allows you to add pockets to create a green wall. The pockets are made out of recycled plastic bottles and are basically a pouch that is filled soil or a compost to hold moisture and act as an anchor for the roots of your chosen plants. You could also try making your own pockets using geo-textile fabric or even shade-cloth sewn into pockets with heavy duty nylon twine. Using this method you could create as many or few pockets as you like and tailor the size to fit your area.
I've even see a wall created using 2 sheets of steel reinforcing wire sandwiched around terracotta pots. This is used to great affect in the 'Kitchen by Mike' restaurant in Sydney's Rosebery.
While not exactly a 'green wall' this is certainly a vertical garden and would be a fantastic use of space on a balcony or terrace.....plant the pots up with a variety of herbs and creative a vertical 'kitchen' garden!
So now that the sun is shining again in Sydney there is no excuse to stay indoors. Get creative and create yourself a vertical garden or green wall; a living sculpture that can be not only beautiful, but functional too.
