Green DIY tutorials: Plant a living wall

(AFP PHOTO/FRED DUFOUR)

Living walls -- or green walls -- are a growing trend, inspired by the creations of "vertical garden" designer Patrick Blanc on building facades and store interiors worldwide. While Blanc's constructions go beyond simple DIY, you can benefit from both the pleasing aesthetic and improved airflow of living walls through small-scale home DIY projects. These links will help you get started.

Living walls - or green walls - are a growing trend, inspired by the creations of "vertical garden" designer Patrick Blanc on building facades and store interiors worldwide. While Blanc's constructions go beyond simple DIY, you can benefit from both the pleasing aesthetic and improved airflow of living walls through small-scale home DIY projects. These links will help you get started.

Grow a Living Wall
Discovery's Planet Green site offers a text-based tutorial. Learn what supplies you'll need to start a living wall and read general instructions on how to construct it.
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/living-wall.html

To greatly simplify the process of making a living wall, pick up a pre-made stand/installation kit - all you need are plants and some DIY effort:

ELT Easy Green: ELT offers a range of Easy Green Living Wall Systems - irrigated panels that can be purchased either pre-grown or empty, at a range of sizes and prices. To avoid high shipping costs, look for your closest international retailer on the brand's website.
http://www.eltlivingwalls.com/

Woolly Pockets:Woolly Wally Pocket Garden Systems offer a lower-tech (irrigation-free) way to lessen the difficulty of your DIY living walls. Made from recycled bottles and breathable felt, they can be used indoors and out and are easily installed.
http://www.woollypocket.com/products.php

Do it Yourself: Try for a unique DIY approach, or get inspired by others' creations. NATURWALL, by Turkish designers Designnobis, uses recycled cups for a minimalist effect.
http://www.greenmuze.com/nature/garden/2248-recycled-cup-living-wall-.html

Choosing Plants:
You've chosen a stand, or decided to build your own. Now, on to plant selection. Green wall installers G-Sky offer this list of plants that work well as part of an interior green wall; all are known for their reliability and low light requirements.
http://www.g-sky.com/greenwalls/Interior_Plant_List_1.pdf