In this rapidly developing world, we are slowly losing touch with nature and our surroundings. But what if you can transform your professional as well as personal space into a lush green haven? This is how living walls and vertical gardens ensure a sustainable as well as stunning way to be in touch with the outside world.
What Are Living Walls and Vertical Gardens?
Living walls are also sometimes known as vertical gardens and they are exactly what they sound: walls covered in plants. Living walls & vertical gardens can range from something pretty basic like hanging a few plants in baskets to more complex designs with in-built watering systems.
While vertical gardens range from simple DIY projects to professionally installed ones, the basic components of them remain the same. Plants being the fundamental component, others include:
1. Framework
They serve as the basic support system for the plants. These can be made of panels, pockets or even sometimes recyclable materials.
2. Growing Medium
Living walls are devoid of any type of soil, and the growing medium holds the roots of the plants and supplies the required nutrients.
3. Optional Irrigation
While not feasible for simple DIY designs, modern professionally installed vertical gardens include a watering system.
4 Benefits of Living Walls
Your living/vertical wall aside from providing an aesthetic appeal to your indoors, also offers a multitude of health benefits. Some of the basic advantages of installing one are:
1. Improved Quality of Air
Plants are nature’s natural air purifiers that absorb any type of contaminant and carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen. A vertical garden thus helps in significantly improving the air quality of your indoors.
2. Reduced Stress Level
As per scientific research, it has been proved that even the smallest amount of interaction with nature reduces any kind of stress and improves mental health.
3. Energy Efficiency
Vertical garden systems help in maintaining and regulating the temperature of your indoors. While in the summer seasons, they provide additional cooling through evaporation, they also act as an insulator in the cold winter months.
4. Less Noise
Plants’ foliage absorbs any kind of sound coming towards them. Your vertical gardens absorb sound waves from the outside as well as the indoors, creating a peaceful atmosphere.
How to Make a Vertical Garden at Home?
Creating your vertical garden by hand can be a meditative and thoughtful activity you can do with your family. Here is a step-by-step simplified guide on how to do so:
1. Choose a Location: Select the side of the wall that receives an ample amount of air depending on your plant.
2. Select the System of Decoration: If you are new to creating living walls, we recommend starting with simple hanging plants.
3. Choose the Framework: Select a sturdy framework that will be able to support both the plants and the growing medium.
4. Add Growing Medium: Fill in the pockets or the hanging planters with your chosen growing medium.
5. Maintenance: Continue watering the plants as required to ensure a healthy and green vertical living wall.
Final Word
If you are looking for ways to ensure that you are connected with nature, then living walls are the most effective solution. So whether you do it yourself or seek the help of professionals, vertical gardens transform your mundane indoors into vibrant spaces.
