As Doug Aitken’s Living Words text sculpture indicates, these vertical gardens are dripping in sex appeal.

Vertical gardens and living walls have become an upwardly mobile artform, a sustainable way of incorporating the natural wilds of groping greenery into our contemporary living spaces, and adorning our urban streetscapes. A living wall is easy to install, if a bit more complicated to irrigate. They can exist soilless or are nourished by hydroponics, both indoors and outdoors.

Following are a dozen examples of vertical drapery, i.e., suspended ivies, succulents, herbs and woody installations. Several are from Patrick Blanc, of course, the botanist who branded the living wall Le Mur Végétal.

The Musee du quai Branly, Paris, France by artist Patrick Blanc.

Vertical succulent gardens from the San Francisco florist with the perfect name, Flora Grubb.

The vertical garden on the Parisian department store, BHV Homme. (Image via Cormac; garden created by Patrick Blanc)

More Patrick Blanc, here the courtyard of the Pershing Hall Hotel in Paris. It’s 30 meters high and is comprised of over 250 different plant species.

A vertical herb garden care of Design Squish.

A living wall from Lushe.

Yet another Patrick Blanc, who clearly dominates the European living wall scene: the CaixaForum in Madrid, Spain. (Image via Turismo Madrid)

Last year’s Trafalgar Square installation “Living Masterpiece” bears mention. Commissioned by GE and the National Gallery to improve its carbon footprint, the wall was inspired by Van Gogh’s “A Wheatfield, with Cypresses.”

The Athenaeum living wall in London is an oxygen-rich beacon of biodiversity right in the heart of the city.

From GSky Plant Systems, a vertical exterior:

And a vertical hallway, also GSky.

The gutter garden by Suzanne Forsling.

The post If These Walls Could Talk: 12 Luscious Vertical Gardens appeared first on EcoSalon.

You’ve heard the old refrain: if walls could talk. But what if your walls could live?

Vertical gardening is a growing trend that’s popping up in museum exhibits, retail stores and private residences around the world.

In addition to being beautiful, vertical gardens are low-maintenance and can thrive both indoors and out, so no matter your climate or space limitations they are easy to grow. The environmental benefits of a vertical garden include improved air quality by purifying air naturally, decreased storm water run-off and organically created humidity.

Conceived by French botanist Patric Blanc, vertical gardens typically consist of a sturdy frame, modular components to hold the plants and felt fabric for the plants to adhere themselves to. Very little, if any soil is used, making vertical gardens lightweight and easy to move.

The best types of plants for a vertical garden are those that are durable, have shallow roots and don’t require a lot of water, such as succulents and moss, though you can also grow flowering vine-plants, veggies like lettuce and even fruit such as strawberries.

If you’re interested in growing your own vertical garden, ELT EasyGreen living wall kits are easy to use and include everything you need but the plants. For the DIYers out there, Lowe’s has comprehensive instructions and a list of materials you need to build you own vertical garden from scratch.

For more ideas, inspiration and pictures see Apartment Therapy’s vertical garden roundup. And don’t forget to check out Susan’s post on three container gardens that may change your life.

Image: Jill Clardy

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