Matt Lindsay, General Manager at Growing Revolution, says: ‘Introducing plants into the home is proven to improve air quality and can even reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety and other health issues. That’s why we’re keen to change the view that only those with sizeable outdoor space can have a garden and promote the idea that anyone can reap the rewards that plants offer.
‘A living wall is completely customisable to your space, light and plant preferences. You can easily create a breathing wall of houseplants inside or turn a plain outdoor wall into a vertical allotment of home-grown herbs, fruit, and vegetables. A living wall means you can reconnect with nature and grow plants and produce without taking up valuable floorspace or needing access to a traditional garden.’
The PlantBox is a cleverly simple stacking box system that allows plant-lovers to easily create beautiful vertical gardens. With as little as a 60-centimeter by 60-centimeter vertical space, you can create a vibrant, thriving living wall at home.
Indoors Or Out
Whether you are creating an indoor or an outdoor wall, fence or railing, start by choosing where it’s going to be positioned.
You can create a living wall with just three lightweight, load-bearing troughs that require 60-centimeters by 60-centimeters vertical space. An indoor living wall is ideal for reaping the air-purifying rewards and is a great option for urban homes. You can even add a plug to prevent spillages when watering.
Outdoors, a living wall can create a mini kitchen-garden to grow herbs, fruits and, vegetables and will also provide a haven for local pollinating insects.
Choose The Look
The PlantBox troughs have a good planting depth for a huge range of foliage and annual flowering plants, perennials, houseplants, fruit, vegetables, herbs, and salad crops.
Whether indoors or out, it’s worth considering what textures and colours will complement your space.
An indoor living wall will enable you to pack heaps of houseplants into the home. Peace lilies, ferns, prayer plants and calatheas all work well. Be sure to consider the light levels as different houseplants will require different amounts of sunlight and shade.
For outdoor vertical gardens, consider flowering plants such as lavender, coral carpet, isotoma and silver bush. Herbs such as mint, sage, rosemary and thyme will thrive in PlantBox, even among non-edible plants. Grasses will add texture, depth and curate an incredible, jungle-like space – do consider Chinese fountain grass or pony tails.
Planting
Most plants in living walls will thrive using ordinary, multi-purpose compost. Have roughly four to five litres of compost per PlantBox to hand.
Planting up your living wall is very straightforward. Slip your plant from its pot and place it in the PlantBox trough. Then fill in the space around the plants with compost. If growing a particularly small plant, place compost underneath until the base of the plant is level with the edge of the PlantBox. Water your living wall as soon as you have finished planting it up.
Refreshing The Look
One of the core benefits of a living wall is its versatility and flexibility. The look can be almost entirely transformed by changing the plants and colours used in the system.
Whether as part of a house renovation or simply a change of style, your living wall can easily adapt with you and your home.
Matt says: ‘There is an incredible amount of creative licence that people can take with expressing themselves through magnificent, living, breathing structures in their home.’
‘I look forward to a future where nature has become a greater part of our daily lives and living walls are an ideal way to get started.’
Made from 100 per cent recycled materials and with a cascading watering system that simplifies plant care, PlantBox was commended in the 2021 RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year Awards.
The PlantBox vertical garden system is available at growingrevolution.com as well as other high-street garden retailers.
Images: Growing Revolution; @theedwardianrenovation; @cherrycroftgardener.
By Growing Revolution
August 2022
