New Products Create Unique
Spaces for Green Thumbs
They've taken over the French Embassy in New Delhi and the Vancouver Aquarium; they've gained a following among American architecture buffs. Now, makers are bringing vertical gardens to the home.
Elevated Landscape Technologies, which started out designing rooftop lawns to help keep houses cool, sells a "living wall" it says can be installed in under a day. Each 400-square-inch panel sells for $39.99 and contains a mix of perennials and annuals. The Brantford, Ontario, company says it has sold more than 10,000 units from its headquarters in the past year.
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Since it launched its Naturaire plant wall in 2005, Air Quality Solutions has erected about 25 hydroponic plant walls in commercial spaces. The company says it will roll out smaller, mass-produced versions for homes and offices this year, marketing the 6-foot-tall plant walls as energy-efficient air-filtration systems.
Lining your living-room walls with plants can create unusual maintenance issues, though. For one thing, soil can slough off, and regular pruning can be messy. Companies say you should allow time for fertilizing and pest control.
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NATURAIRE PERSONAL ELITE (left): An electronic
monitoring system alerts you when the plants need water. Comes with a basin to
prevent dripping. Starting at $2,250 at
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ELT EASY GREEN LIVING WALL SYSTEM (right): Houseplants and ferns are embedded in soil-wall panels or planted in upright wooden planter boxes mounted to walls. $39.99 per 400-square-inch panel or $200 for a wall stand measuring 59 inches by 22 inches at eltlivingwalls.com.
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G-SKY GREEN WALL: An automatic irrigation system waters packed-soil panels mounted on walls in steel frames. Approved contractors help select plants based on environment. $90 per square-foot panel at g-sky.com.
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