Remembering the Upsides of Green Roofs and Walls

In our previous Blog post, we looked at a number of informative pieces about the dangers and downsides of green roofs and green walls. Primarily in North America where climates are harsher. We couldn’t help notice the decent amount of pros and upsides mentioned in the same articles. Below is a look at just that (some positives of green roofs and green walls) via direct quotes from some of those articles mentioned in Part 1:

RETHINKING GREEN ROOFS: 9 points to consider before greening your roof | Green Building Canada

On the other hand, if you love gardens and want to transform a barren tract wracked with violent temperature extremes into a meadowy landscape that blooms with wildflowers, bustles with butterflies and birds, is threaded with pleasant walks and patched with relaxing terraces, and offers fine views above the bugs and closer to the stars, then you deserve all the joys that gardens can give you, all the praise that periodicals may rain on you, and all the points that LEED may award you.

Green Roof Collapses in Illinois - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Green roofs have become increasingly popular in the United States as a way to beautify and insulate buildings and reduce heat pollution in urban areas,

Many green roofs are planted with water-retaining sedums or low grasses, but Aquaspace’s was planted with native Illinois tall grasses. “It was pretty unique,” he said. “In the summer there’d be birds, bees and butterflies up there. It looks like you’re in a meadow.”

(PDF) Exploring Feasibility of Incorporating Vertical Gardens in Indian Context (researchgate.net)

The vertical gardens not only increase urban green areas but also have some functions such as sound and heat isolation, energy productivity, air quality improvement, heat island reduction, aesthetics, and positive contribution to human psychology.

On the Up and Up: Overcoming Green Wall Challenges | Houzz AU

“The great thing about green walls is they look beautiful immediately; you don’t have to wait for the plants to grow to look good,” says Architect Lainey Richardson of Elaine Richardson Architect. Richardson installed a green wall along the boundary wall of this inner-city terrace house, for high-impact greenery that didn’t take up a lot of space. Using the Atlantis Gro-Wall 4 modular system with built-in irrigation, the effect was immediate.

The Upsides And Downsides Of Vertical Gardening (gardeningknowhow.com)

Flat, horizontal gardening is so boring. Liven up your garden with vertical growth. The benefits of a vertical garden are plentiful, from greater visual interest to making use of otherwise unusable space.

Vertical gardening looks cool. One really simple reason to try vertical gardening is that it adds such great visual interest to a space. Whether you’re creating a green wall or simply growing vines up a trellis, a vertical garden adds a new element to your patio, yard, or even indoor space.

Unleash your creativity. Sure, you can get creative arranging plants in beds, but add another layer of creativity as you figure out how to grow up. There are plenty of ideas online for vertical planters, wall planters, trellises, and other unique ways to grow vertically. Use these for inspiration and come up with your own solutions.

Grow more in a small space. The most practical of all the advantages of vertical gardening is that it allows you to grow more in a space that is limited. If you have a small yard or garden but want to grow more flowers, herbs, or even vegetables, utilize vertical space. Even the smallest spaces, like a balcony, can be maximized with vertical growing.

Everything is easier in a vertical garden. Your vertical garden, once you get it started, will be the easiest part of your garden to maintain. You will have minimal weeds, if any, to pull out, and you won’t have to bend or crouch to access your plants, to water them, or to harvest them.

Vertical gardens provide cover and privacy. If you use a trellis or fence, or even create a wall for your vertical garden, you can use it to hide something unsightly, like that big AC unit behind the house. You can also use vertical growing to fill in open spaces and create a privacy shield for your yard, patio, or balcony.

Grow healthier plants. Keeping plants up in the vertical space increases airflow and keeps them healthier. Being above the soil may also protect your plants from soil-borne pests and diseases, like fungal and bacterial infections.

Growing pains: why some green walls die (architectsjournal.co.uk)

One way of ensuring the walls do not die and pose greater fire risk is making sure a green wall maintenance regime is specified as a planning condition, says McIntyre.

When aiming for longevity, the type of substrate used in the green wall system, the medium from which the plant grows, can also be important. Living or green wall systems are made out of a system of modules and are usually either soil-based or hydroponic using horticultural wool. Benefits of the hydroponic system include being able to overcome the difficulties of planting vertically with soil, such as erosion from the wind.

Those in the soil-based corner argue soil allows ‘greater flexibility’ in plant selection, native species, pollinator planting and sources of nectar. Hydroponic systems also tend to use chemicals to keep the wools alive, and rely on water (instead of soil) to deliver nutrients to plant roots, often requiring electric pumps.

Some living walls are starting to use sustainable drainage systems (SuDS). Examples include the Green Infrastructure Company’s system that feeds London’s largest living wall on the side of the Rubens Hotel in Victoria. Dubbed a ‘vertical rain garden’, the green wall receives rainwater through wicking (no pumps) collected in tanks on the building’s roof. ‘Water that would have entered downpipes and run out to the street is intercepted, reducing the risk of surface water flooding,’ says Gary Grant, who designed the wall.

With major initiatives supporting greening in cities, living walls look as if they here to stay. But perhaps the cheapest and most sustainable way of vertical gardening is the old-fashioned method, beautifully demonstrated by the ivy-covered Admiralty Citadel in London, of simply growing climbers up the side of a building.