If you’ve ever seen a gorgeous living wall at a hotel, spa, restaurant, office building, or at a special event, you may wonder how such a thing is created. How can plants grow and thrive in a wall? Where does the water go? How do you even take care of it? Well, all your questions are going to be answered. Here’s a quick look at how we work with a customer to design personalized living walls.
Every Piece Is Unique
The first thing to understand is that at TrueVert, every one of our living walls is a unique and customized piece made specifically for each customer. That means we don’t have a singular process when we create the wall. What we do depends on the client.
Before we start construction, we work closely with the client to determine their needs, budget, and what kind of statement they want to make with their living wall.
Determine Location
Next, we need to take the location of the wall into consideration. Our design strategy will change depending on whether the wall is placed inside our outside, what type of sun exposure is available, and whether the client wishes to have a freestanding wall or a piece attached to an existing wall.
Choose a System
Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty. How do we actually create the living walls themselves? The truth is that we use a variety of different systems that act as a skeleton or frame on which we place the plants. Some of our preferred systems include LivePanel Living Wall Systems, and LivePicture. Each of these systems includes pockets where we place the plants and innerworkings that allow roots to grow. They also include internal watering mechanisms. For example, customers can connect the LivePanel system to a water pump, which sends waters through gutters within the system. Through a capillary effect, the roots receive the water. (Learn more about our top living wall systems.)
Choose Your Plants
Now to our favorite part – choosing the plants for the system. The right plants for a living wall will depend on the environment where the wall is placed as well as the aesthetic preference of the client. We can help our clients choose plants that will thrive in the weather, sunlight, and care conditions that they will be exposed to. Even though this may eliminate some plant options, in most cases, there are still plenty of great choices that will allow the client to get the look, coloring, and overall effect they want. Some of our most popular plants include succulents, tropical plants, and grasses.
Pick a Frame
Finally, it’s time for the client to pick the frame of the structure. Living walls come in all shapes and sizes. (See our gallery to get some great living wall ideas.) They can be freestanding fences, large interior walls, or even artistic frames from which plants cascade. At TrueVert, we can offer a variety of frame options, including many made from different types of wood as well as aluminum, steel, and distressed metal. We can then paint or stain the frame to get just the look our client prefers.
Ready to Order Your Living Wall?
Now that you know a little about how living walls are created, it’s time to try one for your home, business, or event. If you work or play in San Diego, Orange County, or Los Angeles, contact us today to order your customized living wall.
