5 Living Plant Wall Ideas

I’ve put together 5 super simple living plant wall ideas to help bring a little slice of the garden back into our homes and work spaces this winter.

Let’s be honest, we were all hoping for a sunny and crisp October to kick off the Autumn season, but it would seem that 2020 did not get the memo. So, I’ve finally taken the hint and reluctantly packed up the hammock and the lanterns until next Spring.

Although the October that we ordered may have been rained off, and tighter social distancing restrictions seem to be forever leering over us, it means that more then ever we need to try and make sure that our homes are filling the garden shaped holes in our lives.  I’ve put together 5 simple living plant wall ideas to help bring a little bit of nature’s magic back into our homes this winter – so, if you live in a flat or a house with limited outdoor space then this one’s definitely for you.

The Benefits

Keeping indoor plants can promote a healthy indoor climate, increasing humidity and moisture in dry air, and even reducing the allergens that cause complaints such as irritated eyes, headaches, sore throats and tiredness. Office environments that have incorporated plants into their work spaces have seen a noticeable decrease in absence due to illness and even an increase in productivity.

There is no question that living and working in a green environment has a positive effect on our general well-being. Being around vegetation and greenery relaxes us and reduces stress levels, this is more than likely due to our primitive need to be close to a food and a water source. The very idea that we won’t need to travel too far to find our next meal means that we can channel that energy elsewhere, such as into productivity, creativity, sleeping well and even recovery and healing our bodies. 

And, as if that wasn’t enough, they come with a whole bunch of environmental benefits too; they can reduce ambient noise inside and out by up to 50%, making them a great sound buffer if you’re in a built up area, or next to a busy road and they absorb and reflect sunlight, creating a cooler and more pleasant climate in the summer.

So why wouldn’t we want to bring more of that good stuff into our homes and work spaces?

Try framing them

It’s hardly surprising then that we’ve seen an increase in the popularity of vertical gardens and green walls, as they increase the amount of plants that we’re able to keep in our homes and office spaces without losing any of our usable surfaces.

One of the simplest and most cost effective ways of doing this is by switching out some of your existing art for some living plant frames. You could create one large statement piece or use a number of smaller frames to create a green gallery wall.

Better Homes and Gardens have put together a really simple tutorial to show you how you can make your own living succulent frame using some old frames that you might already have lying around at home, or you could take a trip to the local charity shop and see what you can pick up there.

Make your own Green Wall

I came across plant enthusiast Lore Mingel‘s account while researching for this blog post, and boy am I glad that I did…her Instagram is like a shot of vitamin green to the eyeballs so, if you can’t be bothered to implement any of the living plant wall ideas that I’ve included in this blog, then well, at least you can go and follow her and enjoy the stunning photography and regular updates on her growing plant family – it will instantly lift your spirits and make you feel better.

Lore created this stunning green wall using wall mounted plant patricians. I’ve included a link to one that you can buy online here in the UK as Lore lives in Belgium, but you can also find out exactly how she puts it all together in her Instagram story highlights here.

And of course, you can’t create greatness without getting your hands (and your floor) dirty as Lore proves with this work in progress pic…totally worth all of the cleaning up afterwards though I’m sure you’ll agree.

Stackable Self Watering Cubes

As my friends are constantly reminding me, not everyone has the time, or let’s be honest, the inclination to make everything themselves. So, for the busy folks amongst us, that are short on time and maybe lacking in the power tools department, I’ve included these Plantbox stackable planting cubes that can help you to create an effortless and impactful vertical garden, either in your home or in the garden too…and get this, you can just fill up the water reservoir and get on with your day, as the boxes built-in float indicator will let you know when it needs topping up – what could be simpler? 

They come in easy to adjust sets, that you can break apart or put together, to fit the space that you have. You can have them either wall-mounted or freestanding so they’re a great option for renters AND they’re made from 100% recycled materials right here in the UK. They really have thought of everything!

Hanging Plant Rail

One of the things that we get asked the most about in our home is our living plant wall in the family room…well I’ll let you into a little secret, it’s not a living plant wall at all, but in fact it’s just a hanging rail that we made out of copper pipe and plumbing attachments that we use to hang our trailing plants from.

The plants have grown so long and covered the entire wall so it often gets re shared and referred to as a living plant wall so let’s just go with that, hey. I think it would work really well as a row of rails, to cover an entire wall and add even more greenery and impact to your room.

What you will need:

• A copper pipe (we used one that was 15mm)
• A copper pipe cutter
• 2 x Munsen Rings with screws
• Rawlplugs if screwing into brick or plaster

How we made it.

Climbing the walls

From hanging plants to climbers, another really effective way for you to achieve the appearance of a living plant wall is by using climbing plants.

If you choose the right plants you can creep them up and around the walls and even onto the ceiling to create maximum lush, green impact. We have quite a few climbing plants in our home – we chose devils ivy, otherwise known as ‘pothos’ as they have really fast growth, thrive in most light conditions and are (almost) indestructible. You can read about some other indestructible house plants in a previous blog post that I wrote on that very subject here.

We made a hanging grid for our kitchen using garden trellis that we have used to climb some devils ivy up and around the room. The grid is predominantly used for hanging utensils and pans but the extra greenery has really made the room and brought even more of the garden into our home. The combination of the natural light pouring through the skylights, the hanging plant rail and the climbing ivy makes you feel like you’re cooking outdoors and I will never ever tire of it. It’s definitely our favourite room in the house.

I think that using a grid like this solely for climbing plants would create the most incredible living plant wall. I can imagine it being used in an office space to hang notes or stationary from and then just filling it with climbers so that you and your work space are completely surrounded by plants and nature – this would work particularly well in rooms without windows or where desks are positioned facing a wall…I’m definitely going to bank that idea for a future project.

What you will need:

• Wire cutters
• Galvanised garden trellis
• 4 x Mirror Hangers
• Plumbing washers M4 size
• Spray paint and base coat (optional)

How we made it.

I also came across this brilliant idea on the blog of talented set designer and illustrator Coralie aka @blackconfetti on Instagram where she uses pegs and string to create a gorgeous climbing green wall in her home office. It’s the perfect solution to staring at a blank wall and is a great example of bringing simple bophilic design principals into your home.

You can find a full tutorial on her blog post here.

If you’re renting, then trusty Command Strips or plant clips can work really well to achieve a similar effect without putting holes into the walls.

So there you have it, 5 living plant wall ideas to help you bring some of nature’s healing magic into your homes.

Enjoy, and please share if you try any of these ideas out yourselves.

Maz x