Hello,
Wonder if you can help me to build a wall garden like the one I saw last week at Allan Gardens. It was in one of the side rooms and planted with sedums, mostly hen & chicks variety.
Thanks,
What a wonderful project you are about to take on! Living walls are gaining in popularity and appearing in places beyond botanical gardens such as schools, airports and home gardens like yours. There are many benefits of a living wall beyond the aesthetics. Planted indoors they can improve air quality, acoustics and energy savings. Outdoors they can protect a building from temperature fluxuations, precipitation and UV rays.
Depending on how handy you are, you can either build your own frames to contain the plants, or you can purchase them in premade kits. If the former is your preference, this youtube clip explains the step by step process here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb9RPHmnxFM. Should you want to purchase them premade, there are many sources available on line depending on where you live and your price point.
Once you have your frames, you can fill them with a potting mix for succulents or make your own using 2 parts soilless potting mix, 1 part perlite and one part builder’s or all purpose sand. Succulents are a good choice for a first time effort as they are drought tolerant and low maintenance. It should be noted that they are a full sun plant, so if your location is shadier you will want to seek out other plant options such as ivy (Hedera helix), ferns (e.g. Adiantum pedatum) and creeping jenny (Lysimachia). If your location permits, hens and chicks (Sempervivum tectorum) come in a multitude of colours and can be easily pulled apart each one having its own root system. Once you have created your design, planted your plant material securely and watered them, you are ready mount your frames on the wall and enjoy your hard work. Ensure that your sedums are watered once weekly to prevent them from drying out.