Living Walls
Bethany Williamson
Adelaide University, South Australia
Climate change is the issue of our generation; we hear about it everyday. Most of what we hear is about the big picture, about what we as a state or a nation can do to combat this fast-growing problem. However, this doesn’t help the average household do their bit to protect the environment. Change needs to start with us if we are going to make a difference. There are many things that we can do around our houses to help cool the planet one backyard at a time. This garden explores a relatively new technique in Australia that has a range of benefits.
The living wall isn’t a term that we hear often in Australia, but a number of our native plants are perfectly suited to this technique. There are so many environmental benefits of living walls that it is surprising that we don’t see more of them growing in and around our cities and suburbs. This technique is perfect for our cities because it allows us to use the mass of vertical space to recreate habitat that was lost during construction. It is also beneficial around the home to help with thermal properties, energy and water saving, and aesthetic appeal.
We are very lucky in Australia with the wide range of native plants that we have available to us. Our native plants, especially the hardy coastal and inland plants, are perfect for these walls because of their low nutrient requirements, shallow soils, low water use and high UV loads and temperatures. These plants help to improve the air quality and purify the air.
These walls growing on the side of a building are an excellent way to save energy and keep heating and cooling costs to a minimum. The living walls act as insulation ad keep the house cool in summer and warm in winter. Also, the ambient temperatures surrounding the living walls will be reduced creating a much more enjoyable environment to live.
With all of these environmental benefits I thought this was the perfect solution to the theme ‘Cooling the Planet One Backyard at a Time’. I have designed a garden that could easily be seen in a backyard or courtyard. I wanted to create a practical garden that would inspire people to take ideas back to their own gardens. The space features two timber decks, one long and narrow and the other square. The living walls break up these decks and channel people through the space. As the walls surround the deck, this is the perfect place for a couple of sun lounges. Dense trees create a screen to the back of the deck and provide privacy to the lounging area. The walls have been planted with contrasting foliage colours and form, featuring a cooling wave of Dianella caerulea ‘Cassa Blue’ that is contrasting with the bronze Phormium. Both of these foliage types contrast well with the dark green box hedge that highlights these two grasses.
At the front and back of the garden there are areas of paving that tie the whole space together. These are laid in strips with tall fescue lawn in between to break up the hard surface and allow water to penetration. The paving at the front features three bench seats built out of the paving. One of these benches cuts into the deck creating an interesting arrangement of shapes and spaces. The back paving space has three weeping cherry trees in pots that accentuate the boundary of the garden bed.
The planting plan has been kept simple using hardy grasses and creating colour by mass planting. They were chosen for their contrasting colour, form and low water use and maintenance. The planting plan complements the design of the surrounding spaces and the flowing lines of the plants balance the sharp edges of the decking and paving.
