uxstudio

Patrick Blanc–a Parisian botanist–developed the concept of integrating vertically oriented plantings directly into unusual architectural settings. His book, “The Vertical Garden, From Nature to the City” is profusely illustrated ( I thumbed through it for about an hour this afternoon at the bookstore). It begins with many examples from the forests he studies. The next section features a discussion on how certain plants will naturally grow on architectural surfaces (most notably in the tropics). The final section is dedicated to Blanc’s many installations throughout the world.

Musee du quai Branley in Paris

The installations were strikingly attractive, rich in color and texture. The scale of some of these were immense. While most of us have seen ivy-covered walls and mossy walkways, what made these so interesting for me were the variety of the plantings, and their incorporation into unique architectural environments distinct from gardens. Blanc turns what would normally be bland architectural surfaces into living, growing garden-spaces.

The vertical gardens are created by attaching some type of felt to a PVC framework. Various species of plants capable of shallow rooting and vertical orientation are then stapled to the felt where their roots take hold. A network of pipes and tubes carries mineral-rich water to the plants. According to Blanc, his interest in gardens, plants, and life in general date to a boyhood fascination with aquariums and aquatic plants.

Blanc has developed a technique that allows architecture to become garden. Can you imagine an entire city or city street growing up like this? How would it feel to stroll, shop, live, and have coffee in such a luscious blend of the natural and the man-made?

Vertical garden on a storefront

I love it when a designer is able to fire up my imagination like this. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how cool it would be to grow a vertical garden on an ugly section of backyard fence I’ve been neglecting for quite some time.

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