Living Walls

A basic living wall is a plant such as ivy vines growing up the side of a building. A more complex living wall uses an engineered trellis system with plants rooted into a growing medium within the structure, but separate from the building. This system allows for more creative options. The most complex living walls systems include four elements: growing media, structural support, integrated irrigation and a drainage system.

Living walls flourish inside with the right lighting, or outside in almost any climate. They can be planted randomly or display intricate patterns. Living walls can use a recirculating irrigation system, drip irrigation with a drain, or be watered by hand.

Good Earth Plant Company conducted long-term trials of 20 different systems. We confidently recommend the best system for your location and individual needs. We know which plants work best in each setting, including how to choose and install the right irrigation system; how to make adjustments for lighting; and ongoing maintenance needs.

Our clients include homeowners, business owners, facilities managers, architects, landscape architects, interior designers, developers and general contractors. We install living walls in offices, lobbies, homes, schools, shopping malls, retail stores, restaurants, hotels, car dealers, and nonprofit settings.

Living walls conserve energy by insulating the building envelope. This reduces the need for heating in the winter and cooling in the summer. They create biodiversity, conservation opportunities, and can absorb and filter stormwater, which reduces local water body pollution and helps prevent the overwhelming of municipal stormwater infrastructure.

Living Walls and Fences Are A Natural Choice

| September 14, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Environment, Living Walls
  People and civilizations have put up walls throughout human history. Some of the world’s greatest structures are walls: the Northern Wall built by the Romans to hold back the Barbarians; the Great Wall of China, and even the Berlin Wall. It is amazing how these walls were constructed without having any of the engineering tools or technology at our fingertips today. Over time, Nature has a hand in ‘decorating’ these walls. In some cases, the walls become ruins and become part of the natural landscape. In other cases, Nature takes advantage of these man-made structures. This is where people like me and companies like Good Earth Plants and GreenScaped Buildings have combined the best of both to create living walls for our homes, businesses, and communities.… Read More

Your Questions About Moss Walls Answered

| August 10, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Living Walls, Moss Walls, Plantscaping
Moss walls can fit in any space under conditions where a living wall isn’t feasible. Contact Good Earth Plants if we can add one to your office OR your home!We predicted two years ago in this blog moss walls would become the hottest trend in interior Plantscaping. Here’s the original post just to prove it. We had no idea how right we were! Moss walls are hotter than ever. They are the perfect alternative when a traditional green living wall isn’t feasible. In many ways, moss walls have significant advantages: they can be installed nearly anywhere at less cost, with zero maintenance.… Read More

Words of Wisdom from the Dalai Lama

| June 22, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Living Walls, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
Most people know Good Earth Plant Company for our living walls, green roofs, and other major projects. But we got our start 40 years ago on a much smaller scale. Our core business for many years is providing Interior Plantscaping services to offices, homes and other buildings, bringing nature indoors for people to enjoy. Early on, I recognized that San Diego didn’t have a firm that did short term plant rentals, so I started one. We used to have contracts with all of the local concert and event producers. Our all-time favorite was the late great Joan Rivers. We’ve also provided stage plants for comedian Robin Williams, Neil Diamond, ZZ Top and Jimmy Buffett among others.… Read More

The Future of Living Walls in Los Angeles

| June 1, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Indoor Plants, Living Walls
One of the things we love about working with living walls is finding something new to incorporate into our client projects. We’ve been big fans of preserved moss walls, and found a way to combine it with traditional living walls for the architecture firm Gensler’s Los Angeles location. Gensler’s Los Angeles office is the first vertical urban creative campus in the downtown area at 500 South Figueroa Street. The campus is comprised of Gensler’s original three-level atrium building, which it outgrew a long time ago,  connected via a custom-designed bridge to the City National Bank tower next door where it is leasing several more floors of office space to accommodate its 600 employees.… Read More

Reduce Workplace Distractions with Plants

| May 18, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Living Walls, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
People working in an office with lots of plants.
Companies were quick to jump on board the open office design trend when it first showed up in the 1990s. Busting down the doors created community and encouraged creativity. People also needed less workspace thanks to technology. No one needed a huge computer workstation anymore when a laptop or even a tablet or phone would do. By opening up office space and shrinking the average workstation, companies could also save a lot of money on their office leases. The result: the International Facilities Managers Association says 70 percent of all workplaces today have some kind of open office design. In the 20 plus years since the walls came down, workplace efficiency experts have learned a lot – mainly that the pendulum swung a little too far and some corrections are needed.… Read More

Got a Prana Problem? We Have The Answer: Vastu

| April 26, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Green Roofs, Indoor Plants, Living Walls, Nature and Wellbeing
Whether you think it’s an art, a science, both, or neither, most Western cultures know about the Chinese practice of feng shui. It is a complex system of rules and beliefs created 3,000 years ago to balance positive and negative energy in the world around places people live, work, and play. But I bet you aren’t as familiar with a similar practice from India called vastu. Vastu is another system of creating harmonious living and working environments in conjunction with the forces of nature. Vastu is older than feng shui, and thought to have been carried across the Himalayan Mountains into China where it was adapted to the local culture where it became feng shui.… Read More

Meet the Next Generation of Eco-Warriors

| April 5, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company, Green Roofs, Living Walls, Nature and Wellbeing
Sixth grade students from Innovation Academy took a field trip to Good Earth Plant Company’s living lab earlier this year. Students are working on green roof and living wall projects and wanted to see the “real deal.” During their visit to our living lab, we first did a power point presentation about how to build a green roof or living wall and some of the issues and concerns keeping them alive. We showed them photos of green roofs and living walls around the world. Then it was time to go outside and see them up close. Boy do they have a lot of questions, some really smart ones.… Read More

Hotel Del Coronado Gets Its Own Living Wall

| February 24, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Case Studies, Indoor Plants, Living Walls
Did anyone watch the TV game show “Wheel of Fortune” during its “San Diego Week?” The show backdrop featured classic symbols of San Diego. The most prominant was the unmistakable red turret roof of the Hotel Del Coronado. The beautiful Hotel del Coronado is a little more beautiful today thanks to its new living wall, installed in late January by Good Earth Plants and GreenScaped Buildings. This project has been a year in the making as it made its way through a lengthy approval process by the City of Coronado. The City and several organizations must maintain the historic preservation of the landmark and ensure any renovations or construction don’t harm the structure.… Read More

Flashbacks in Florida at the Tropical Plant Industry Expo

| January 19, 2017 | Categories: Case Studies, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Living Walls, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
After all the New Year celebrations are over, I still have something to look forward to every year: the annual Tropical Plant Industry Expo in Florida. It’s become a tradition for me to start the year meeting with my Plantscaping industry colleagues from 45 states and 37 different countries, and learning about the latest trends and products I can offer to our clients at Good Earth Plant Company. When you have been in business almost 40 years like we have, you see certain concepts and ideas recycled from time to time. Sometimes we get a new twist on those old ideas.… Read More

What Did You Want To Know from Good Earth Plants in 2016?

| January 5, 2017 | Categories: Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Living Walls, Sustainable Living
Good Earth Plant Company has so many innovative ways to add plants to your interior design today, including spectacular moss walls.
The confetti and streamers are finally cleaned up, the holiday decorations (mostly) put away for another year. It’s time to begin 2017 with a clean slate. Doesn’t that feel good? It’s also a good time to look back, take stock, make some observations and learn some lessons. Applied to this blog, we try to provide useful, informative, and sometimes just plain enjoyable information. How do we know if we’re doing a good job? Thanks to technology, we know when people are clicking on our website and reading blog posts, not just the most recent post but every single blog post we’ve ever published.… Read More