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Excelsior’s two-story green wall is planted with succulents and makes a gorgeous green focal point for events.
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A curving 12-foot-high, 34-foot-long expanse of greenery drenched in natural light is the first thing people see when they enter the Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute.
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Bloombox’s vertical gardens bring an urban trend for small space gardening.
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It seems everyone loves gardens; we’re naturally drawn to them. But not all of us want the work a garden entails, and some of us don’t have the room. What’s the alternative? Local venue owners Kelly and John Dantinne tapped into a hot trend when they asked a nursery if they could “flip a landscape on its side.” Vertical gardens are filling up walls all over the world.
Kelly wanted one installed at Excelsior, and she wanted it ready for her son’s wedding in May 2017. She asked Creek Hill Nursery in Leola if they could do it, and the answer was yes. Excelsior’s green wall was even recently featured on the cover of our wedding issue. (Creek Hill Nursery no longer builds green walls, but check our resource list for other local options.)
The venue was new, and before Excelsior even had its website up and running, The Knot picked up the living wall. “They featured four venues,” says Dantinne. “One each in Ft. Lauderdale, Boulder, Austin, and little Lancaster was the first up. Soon the number-one comment we got from brides was, ‘We want to get married in front of that wall!’” Excelsior’s two-story vertical garden is planted with succulents. “It’s dramatic,” says Dantinne, “and it makes a gorgeous focal point for events.”
Nearby, another living wall serves a very different purpose. At the Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute, a curving 12-foot-high, 34-foot-long expanse of greenery drenched in natural light is the first thing people see when they enter. According to Nik Buescher, executive director of the cancer program at Penn Medicine/Lancaster General Health, it’s not what visitors expect to see. “Medical facilities tend to be pretty dark. Research shows if you just add a window to a hospital room, the patient actually recovers sooner and is discharged sooner,” he explains. “We wanted to bring some of that knowledge and evidence into the outpatient setting and make it a welcoming facility more in tune with the local environment.”
Starting at the Top
In keeping with the living wall trend is a movement called “urban greening.” One shape this takes is the green roof, a layer of vegetation that saves rainwater and reduces runoff. So far, the City of Lancaster has helped cover over 95,000 square feet of rooftops with greenery. Excelsior has a green roof/observation deck that is planted with 10 varieties of sedum. “It gets really lush-looking,” Dantinne says, “and we get a pop of surprise when the yellow flowers bloom among all the pinks and whites.”
Breaking It Down
A more accessible take on vertical gardening is a stylish set of tiers with window-box-sized growing containers by Bloombox. David Zablocki says vertical gardens are one of the fastest growing trends for higher-end apartments in urban areas, where a smaller growing footprint can make gardening more feasible. He designed one model specifically to fit on a balcony.
Zablocki’s original prototype sits right outside his kitchen window. “As I cook, I’m able to say, ‘Hey, I need fresh thyme for my salmon,’ and go out and snip them,” he says. “They also create an inviting entertainment area. Instead of looking at a plain, boring fence, I’m looking at a living wall.”
Bloombox grows the plants and refreshes the box contents for commercial customers. Its freestanding garden boxes are popular at restaurants, as well as at senior living campuses, at grilling stations, or in common areas. These might feature cognitive-boosting herbs like sage alongside lettuce and blooming flowers. For residential customers, Zablocki’s company delivers plants “right to your door, like Amazon.”
Bringing It Indoors
Of course, adding living greenery can be done in homes on a smaller scale, in any room with natural light. Try combining succulents with different shapes, textures, and sizes. Group them in glass terrariums or plant them in several smaller pots of different sizes (no larger than 6 inches). Stagger them in a grouping near a window. “Alternatively,” Zablocki advises, “place one statement succulent, such as an aloe plant, with height and an interesting silhouette and texture, in one pot in the center of a table.”
Whether you add more nature to your living room, your roof or your office, you’ll reap the many benefits plants offer. From visual appeal and healthier air to a sense of serenity, the presence of plants can enhance your health and your lifestyle. Small is okay, but the sight of an entire landscape on a wall is an unexpected treat.
“The effect of trees and plants and the whole greening up of the city is so refreshing,” Dantinne says. “It’s important not to have cities turn into concrete jungles, and we don’t have to choose hard materials. Green is very calming, and it softens the rough edges you find in a city.”
Trend Watch: Green Roofs
Green roofs help extend the life of roofing by up to 200 percent. They collect rainwater, reduce runoff, and can lower heating and cooling costs by 25 percent. They can also be used to grow food.
Germany adds about 11 million square meters (about 118 million square feet) of green roofs each year.
Did You Know? The living wall at Longwood Gardens is the largest in North America. It contains 47,000 plants, provides oxygen, and helps purify the air. The same architect who designed that 14-foot-high, 300-foot-long wall also designed the one at Lancaster General Health’s Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute in Lancaster.
Want to learn more?
Here are some local resources:
Green Walls
Bloombox / getblooming.com / getblooming.com/commercial-1 (residential: plants & structure only; commercial/retail: full service)
Belmont Landscapes / belmontlandscapes.com (installation and plant service for both commercial & residential)
Ambius / ambius.com (installation; installed green wall at Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute)
Kim Wilkie, Landscape Architect / kimwilkie.com (designed Ann B. BarshingerCancer Institute’s Green Wall)
Green Roofs