If you’re like me, you will have noticed more and more green walls absolutely everywhere! I mean they’re in tv shows, online mags and even your local shopping centre.
And if you’re like me, you’ll love them. There’s something that draws me to them and I suspect it’s a mixture of feeling like they’re a bit of the outdoors inside, that they’re cleaning the air we breath and that unlike normal walls, they’re living and breathing (like us!).
And green walls, or vertical gardens, are absolutely a fast-growing trend in Australia. In just 30 years, it is estimated that nearly 70% of the world will be urbanised (as a country girl, I find this a sad fact!), meaning the green is slowly slipping from our lives. With this in mind, and after a summer of devastating bushfires which led to places like Sydney having 10 times the level of air pollution deemed hazardous by health experts, people are looking to do their part for the environment and protect their loved ones.
Perfect for your home, green walls are the ultimate feature; not only do they look great, but they are a simple way to improve your quality of living.
Need more reasons why you should consider getting a green wall for your home? Here are my top 5:
• Bring the outside in and give some life to your home. Surrounding yourself in green has been proven to do wonders for mental health and stress reduction. • Green walls are a clean air machine, purifying the air in your home at a much larger scale than your current collection of pot plants. • Having green walls inside can cool the air in summer, or provide insulation in the winter months—both reducing the costs involved in heating and cooling your home. On the outside, green walls can combat the <a href=https://climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au/Impacts-of-climate-change/Heat/Urban-heat>Urban Heat Island effect</a> and keep both your home and neighbourhood overall cooler. (My husband would love this point!) • Green walls can be a simple means of noise reduction and privacy inside your home, acting as an insulator from the noise of your neighbours to unruly housemates. • Depending on the aesthetic you want, you can leave your wall to grow as is, meaning they can be low maintenance compared to other garden projects. You can also change them up, adding colour at times – they’re that flexible! Okaayyyyy….so, how do I get (or make) one? If you consider yourself to have a green thumb, taking a DIY approach to your green wall can be a fun and fulfilling project that allows you to personalise your space. You can buy pot kits that let you pick and choose the plants you want to feature (and remove some, just in case), or plant panels to cover your wall. Self-watering systems—or, alternatively, self-watering pots that only need to be occasionally topped up—can be a lifesaver and may be something you want to consider. Having a green wall installed can be a bit more expensive, but is worth it in the long run with a professional designing, installing and maintaining the garden custom-built for your space. If you want your green wall to look the best it can with minimal effort and expert support, this is the option for you. Green walls are also extremely flexible; fixing them to a wall can make them a stand-out feature of any space—living room, kitchen, bedroom, and more—while wheeled units can be moved around the home depending on the time of year to block or let in sun. Not to mention this allows the growing number of Australian renters to participate in the green wall movement and enjoy all the benefits that comes with. Sounds great! Where do I start? Below, we’ve compiled a short list of places in Sydney you can begin your green wall journey. Depending on the size of the wall and the level of DIY-ness you want to do, pricing varies (from hundreds to thousands). Here are the top 3 suppliers here in the Harbour City: https://www.cityforest.com.au https://www.verticalgardensdirect.com.au/ https://vertikal.com.au/
And if you’re after some green wall inspo, then head over to this Pinterest Board (click the pic) I’ve put together!
