Did you know that green walls have a huge number of benefits, including providing habitats for insects?
In a study by Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) scientists carried out over a number of years, it was shown that “green façades can provide a resource for plant-inhabiting invertebrates from a range of primary functional groups including herbivores, predators and detritovores”. The report says that this ‘will help private and public building owners maximize their space for wildlife as well as designers and developers to meet requirements such as those for the UK’s biodiversity net gain strategy (GovUK, 2023) and local planning level to green neighborhoods (Aretis et al. 2015)’.
Read the full scientific report here
The RHS on its website here explains that green walls can be developed by planting wall shrubs and climbers or by using more ‘engineered’ methods such as living wall systems which use modules fixed against a wall. Best plants for green walls include heuchera, thyme, sedum, carex and ajuga. Other options include grasses, herbs and fruit and vegetables while, for summer ‘interest’, annuals, patio and bedding plants are a nice idea.
Not only do living walls look good and boost biodiversity, they also offer other benefits, the RHS says. These include:
- deflecting water away from the walls during heavy rain
- providing the building with an extra layer of insulation, so cutting down on energy loss and decreasing in heating requirements, even in modern, well-insulated homes
- helping to keep homes cool in summer. Unlike brick and concrete walls, green surfaces don’t store up the sun’s energy in the daytime and release it as night-time in the same way
- contributing to improvement of urban air quality
- contributing to reduced noise pollution
And installing a living wall does not have to involve specialist installers. With our DIY Living Wall kit, you get all the components you need to get started. Check it out here.
See the video here:
