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deviant_deziner

Yo, Nebuchadnezzar dude.

deviant-deziner
11 years ago

If old King Nabu of Babylon was here today I wonder what he would think of our modern 21st century hanging gardens ? I heard that his garden was one of the 7 wonders of the world back in the day.

It seems that vertical walls of plants are all the current rage.

There's no doubt that they can brighten up a boring wall and add an insulating factor to a building.

While on a recent trip abroad I saw some interesting construction techniques used in the making of vertical gardens, I thought I would share a few with you.

At Gardens by the Bay in Singapore they veneered giant metal structures with bromeliads , orchids and other epiphytes.
{{gwi:45318}}From Garden by the Bay Singapore
{{gwi:45319}}From Vertical - hanging gardens

detail shot of the installation method

{{gwi:45320}}From Vertical - hanging gardens
{{gwi:45321}}From Vertical - hanging gardens

Inside a massive greenhouse a giant hypertufa wall was made with planting pockets

{{gwi:45322}}From Vertical - hanging gardens

detail shot

{{gwi:45323}}From Vertical - hanging gardens

Large independent standing walls of plants divided a street and the entrance to a botanical garden

{{gwi:45324}}From Vertical - hanging gardens

a detail shot of the growing / construction method

{{gwi:45325}}From Vertical - hanging gardens

A simple but creative idea of using bromeliads against an otherwise blahhhh concrete wall

{{gwi:45326}}From Vertical - hanging gardens

In the Singapore Orchid garden they wrapped large tubes with coconut coir and wired orchids to the armature:

{{gwi:45327}}From Vertical - hanging gardens

Here they made a series of arches covered with orchids

{{gwi:45328}}From Vertical - hanging gardens

This house used a hydroponic system - nice pad !

{{gwi:45329}}From Vertical - hanging gardens

Detail of a similar growing unit used for the house above

{{gwi:45330}}From Vertical - hanging gardens

I've tinkered with making a few vertical gardens , mostly I use bromeliads, ferns and succulents .

Have you attempted a vertical garden , and if so, what kind of construction method did you use?

Comments (13)

  • adriennemb2
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, beautiful and so labour intensive - I think my favourite is the home with the "green" entrance wall. Is that display year round? Providing water and fertilizer for any of these applications must be a real ongoing challenge. Weeding would be a breeze though.

    I can never spell that dude's name either...

  • PRO
    Yardvaark
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

  • deviant-deziner
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey Adriennemb,
    Yes, the living wall at the house pictured above is year round, though that's not a difficult thing to pull off in Singapore. ;-)

    I have never installed one of the hydroponic systems but they do seem like they use a fair amount of energy ( electric for pumps, fert and water ) to thrive.
    Senor Bahia aka David Feix is probably the most knowledgeable people on this forum of these types of systems due to his involvement with a local SF project that French designer Patrick Blanc installed.

    I find that the 'crate' systems are pretty easy to use as well as the felted wall systems , especially when using epiphytic plants such as bromeliads and tillandsias.

  • catkim
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I saw a several vertical garden applications in Sweden recently -- a very different climate from Singapore, for sure. In those huge paved city center squares so common in Europe, were "plant towers" on wheels sporting bright spring and summer annuals. The fabric pockets could be replanted seasonally, but I couldn't see how they were watered -- and the plants were in dire need of a drink that day. A cubist modern indoor/outdoor shopping mall featured an entire green wall at least 3 stories high, again using what looked like felt pockets. The effect was very similar to the house photo you've posted above. The drip irrigation appeared to be effective.

    In early September I will visit the Gardens by the Bay and Singapore Bot up close! Then on to Nong Nooch. Can't wait! Got more pix? Post 'em!

  • deviant-deziner
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Catkim,
    I hope that you will take photos and give us your impressions on Nong Nooch when you return . I was hoping to fly onto Thailand after Borneo but was limited by time and finances.

    I think that most of the hanging pocket plantings are irrigated with drip irrigation. I got some photos of the irrigation details but thought those photos might be too boring to post.
    The few very small vertical planting boxes that I have made utilized drip irrigation.

    I haven't gone thru all my photos yet from the trip but have uploaded some at my Picasa account. You're welcome to check them out. Link below.

    While in Singapore I think you would enjoy exploring Little India. That is where we stayed and I loved the thick aromas of curry hanging on the air, the vibrant colorful street life and hearing morning and evening prayer booming from the neighboring mosques. ( Perak Hotel)

    Do try and get to the top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. The views are fantastic and will orient you to the city and especially to Gardens by the Bay.
    There are "hawker centers" all over the city. These are food courts and are a great place to grab an inexpensive bite of food native to the various cultures in the city.

    I also enjoyed Hort Park. Especially the 'silver garden'.
    If you transfer through Changi Airport you are in for a treat. Check out their butterfly conservatory - really !

    Singapore is a city within a garden.

    Marina Sands hotel with an infinity edge pool and a garden on the roof.
    {{gwi:45331}}From Garden by the Bay Singapore

    The silver garden at Hort Park
    {{gwi:45332}}From Singapore Bot garden and Hort Park 2012

    Here is a link that might be useful: picasa photo hosting

  • ishcountrygal
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    d-d,

    Amazing! Looks like some make-believe planet. Do you have a word or two which describes how you felt when you were there?

    -m

  • catkim
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Swedish vertical gardening examples -- these photos are in Malm�. In the first photo, you can pick out the round "flower towers" in the middle distance of the square, and then you can glimpse a bit of the framework in the second photo.

    {{gwi:45333}}

    {{gwi:45334}}

    Shopping mall vertical garden:

    {{gwi:45335}}

    {{gwi:45336}}

    {{gwi:45337}}
    {{gwi:45338}}

  • catkim
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    D-d, thanks for the Singapore tips, much appreciated. It's going to be a short and mind-boggling, jet-lagged two days there.

    Silver and blue gardens have so much visual impact, and your photo is stunning. I would imagine you came home with your brain overstimulated by design ideas. SE Asia is the center of the hurricane when it comes to horticultural innovation.

  • deviant-deziner
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi IshCountryGal,
    The first thought that came to mind as I recall was , 'Please, gawd, don't let me get boob sweat'.
    It was a tad bit warm and humid.
    After that thought I was just in awe of all the fantastic garden scenes we were seeing.
    It was a tropical horticultural wonderland.
    Even neglected street trees had orchids, epiphytes and gorgeous birds nest ferns growing on them.

    Catkim, two days is better than one ! Enjoy the tropical sensory overload.
    The shopping mall wall in Sweden is a thing of beauty. It really has resonance against the white walls.

  • deviant-deziner
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi IshCountryGal,
    The first thought that came to mind as I recall was , 'Please, gawd, don't let me get boob sweat'.
    It was a tad bit warm and humid.
    After that thought I was just in awe of all the fantastic garden scenes we were seeing.
    It was a tropical horticultural wonderland.
    Even neglected street trees had orchids, epiphytes and gorgeous birds nest ferns growing on them.

    Catkim, two days is better than one ! Enjoy the tropical sensory overload.
    The shopping mall wall in Sweden is a thing of beauty. It really has resonance against the white walls.

  • timbu
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great pics.
    Catkim, was the shopping mall in Malmo too?

  • drtygrl
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Love these pictures - especially the silver garden! Even a king with his own gardens would be jealous to see all those garden works of art.
    Hanging gardens of Babylon - do you think they were literally hanging or figuratively? I imagine them as terraced; I think because that is the way they are often rendered in art.

    I also wonder how many people walk right by the gorgeous shopping mall vertical garden and don't even notice it? Pretty sure I was that type of person once ;)

  • catkim
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Timbu - yes, the shopping mall was in Malmo. I visited Stockholm, too, where I took lots of photos of tulips. :-D