The hardware and infrastructure should last 25 years. Plants may not live quite that long, but the beauty of keeping your living wall professionally maintained is having it always look its best with any diseased or dying plants easily replaced.

All living walls are irrigated via gravity. As such, the water goes straight down, and doesn’t touch the wall at all. However, for peace of mind and that rare occurrence where water does get on an interior wall, we recommend a waterproof layer be installed behind the living wall system. Some systems are designed to be watertight. Exterior living walls generally do not need waterproofing between the system frame and the building, as it was already designed to withstand weather and the elements. As a preventative measure, we caulk or silicone the holes we drill into a wall to protect it from any water intrusion.

Living wall systems are purposely designed to minimize or eliminate conditions where mold could grow. They are typically held off the wall by a few inches which keeps moisture next to the plants and promotes air movement, not an environment for mold to flourish. When a living wall is not properly installed or maintained, it is possible for moisture to build up behind the wall and allow mold to grow. This is another important reason to have your living wall professionally installed and maintained by professionals like Good Earth Plant Company. Protect your investment and avoid problems like mold with a regular maintenance program.… Read More

We thought you’d never ask! Call us at 858-576-9300 or email us at info@goodearthplants.com   Nearly every living wall or green wall is custom designed. Let us come out (or send us a picture), and we’ll assess the space and learn more about your ideas so we can provide you a plan including a design, specifications and an estimate.

It is best to locate your wall where it will receive some natural light. Otherwise you can augment with artificial if necessary. The most important thing is to specify plants that will survive where you are planting them. There are some species that survive very well for instance in low light. Others require more light. When in doubt – call us!

No matter what you see or read on the internet, all living plants require maintenance. With carefully selected plants and proper irrigation, randomly patterned living walls can be low maintenance. They will need to be pruned and cleaned, having brown or yellow leaves removed. Irrigation lines and controls are evaluated and adjusted. Inspection for any pests or disease is critical to catch in the earliest of infestations. All plants require regular fertilizing. Sometimes, replacement plants are needed. Living walls need the same kind of care and attention as your house or garden plants to look their vest – and preserve your investment.

The amount of water required is plant and climate dependent with an average of approximately 2 liters per panel per watering. Each cell has a water retention area so that it holds water when it flows through the panels. Keep an eye on your plants! If they look sad, they probably need water.

The panels are designed to allow water flow from cell to cell within each panel and then from panel to panel in a complete wall. For direct mount wall installations we suggest the installation of drip irrigation lines between every row or every second row of panels depending on the microclimate of the installation.

We have quite a few customers that are successfully growing all kinds of herbs, cherry tomatoes, strawberries and peppers in their living walls. At our on-site Living Laboratory, our eight-panel herb wall has been doing extremely well. We regularly harvest different types of mints, sage, salad greens, and several other types of herbs.

Plant choices are always location and climate dependent.  Good Earth Plant Company’s horticulture experts look at each project individually to make recommendations that will be successful and suit your taste. Outside, we generally use succulents, sedums and other rock garden perennials, which have a shallow root base. Extended panels can be planted with a larger variety of perennials or annuals, and some shallow root grasses. We prefer choosing drought tolerant or low-water use plants to facilitate water conservation. Native plants can be challenging to grow in a living wall, but they can help habitat restoration efforts, as most native plants provide food for local birds and butterflies.… Read More