MTH Living Wall

The living wall installation is complete at the Move the House Apartments (see in progress shots here) – with all of the 20 species of plants placed in waves through the galvanized metal troughs around two sides of the short structure.  The structure conceals the interior of the trash enclosure, which is accessible through the sliding wooden doors seen below.

The plantings are planned in waves, moving from the upper left towards the lower right, with a range of colors and textures that will last throughout the four seasons.  The arrangement takes into account the different moisture gradients that will occur from dry to moist to wet from top to bottom.   Although just planted with 4″ pots, some of the bands are starting to become legible.  The accessibility of the plantings to the users is also important, as some are meant to be activated with aromas as people brush past them, particularly near doorways to the trash and recycling.

A few more photos shows the variety of species and the details of the simple structure of the living wall, which measures around 160 square feet of area total.  Plantings will wrap around the front corner, softening the edge that protrudes into the pedestrian space.

In addition to the evergreen vegetation, many of the species have flowers that will come on at different times of year, including the Hypericum calycinum, in vibrant yellow below.

Even newly planted, the vegetation is starting to attract bees and other pollinators, as seen on the subtle flowers of the Origanum ‘Kent Beauty’ in bloom.  Butterflies have also been spotted in the past day or so.  Not bad for a project that is literally days old.

As with all of our projects, we will be monitoring the evolution of the plantings over time, and adjusting some of the configuration.  Also important will be maintenance, as the predominant form of these plants is to drape rather than climb, so the overall composition may shift as certain plants fill in and others shift.  But that’s part of the fun… stay tuned for more.