Often when new green walls are being designed, we are asked: “how long will it take to grow and mature?” and the answer depends on a range of factors including the specific conditions of the particular site and the species of plant being grown.
St Dominic’s College
Along with the site conditions and species of plant being grown, there a number of other variables that will affect the growth rate of green walls. These variables include irrigation, soil condition, plant condition and maintenance to name a few. These variables need to be thought about when designing a green wall and once all factors and variables have been considered, then the best plant species to be used can be chosen. Of course, once green walls are installed, the growth rates will be far greater when the plants are watered, fed and maintained on a regular basis. By drawing on our team of green wall and horticultural specialists, we can provide advice and support for each stage, from initial drawings through to installation of green walls.
We have seen first-hand the importance of carefully selecting plants for green walls with our instillations of our stainless steel trellis systems throughout the UK and Europe, as well as the vital importance of maintenance and irrigation regimes. Examples of green wall installations that took great consideration in deciding which plants would be most suitable include St Dominic’s College in Harrow which selected a mixture of over 550 climbing plants that included Parthenocissus Tricuspidata and Clemetis Montana. Where the climbing plants were pre-grown off site in order to reduce the stress to the plants when they were planted out, it meant that within the first few months impressive coverage had already been achieved. Another project is the green wall at Sihl City Shopping Mall in Switzerland, where after around four years of growth the carpark façade was completely hidden under a blanket of verdant green growth that was achieved using a combination of Aristolochia sp and Wisteria Sinensis.
So, to answer the question “How long will a green wall take to grow and mature?” it is important to take into consideration all of the factors and variables, and to remember that all green walls are unique.
You can read the full article about green wall growth rates here on our green walls site.
Some information provided by Tensile Design and Construct, agents for the Jakob system in Australia.
