7 Reasons to Get an Artificial Green Wall Instead of a Live One

The green wall trend has exploded over the last few decades, and for a good reason. As urban spaces become tighter, and there’s not much space left for that traditional garden, vertical gardens or green walls are an excellent way to bring that lush green into your space without giving away precious real estate. Of course, technological advances have also made it increasingly easier to install them.

There’s no doubt about the many benefits of the green wall – anyone who has seen one will vouch for it! But anyone who has installed one and maintained it for a while will also tell you what an absolute feat it is! It only makes sense that people are slowly moving toward their artificial counterparts instead. If you’re on the fence about getting an artificial green wall or a real one, here are 7 points that’ll help you make that call with more certainty.

Why choose the artificial plant wall over the real one?

You can get more consistent aesthetics with an artificial plant wall

Aesthetics is almost 100% the reason for getting the plant wall – so it only makes sense that it plays the most important factor in your choice between a real and artificial plant wall. After all, the whole idea of the green wall is to infuse your space – indoor or outdoor – with some luscious, impactful greenery.

Here are a few of the options we have available, click or tap on any of these to see more options...

If we were discussing this point even a decade ago, an artificial garden wall would have no leg to stand on, for artificial plants just looked cheap and unacceptable back then. But thanks to the advances in material technology, you can now get ultra-lifelike fake plants that are almost indistinguishable from the real ones!

In fact, when it comes to aesthetics, artificial plant walls now have the upper hand. Unlike real plants, their appearance is not left at the mercy of the elements of nature and nurture. Any deviation from the favorable weather conditions or carelessness with maintenance can leave live plants dying or dead, killing the green wall's aesthetic.

That’s not at all the case with artificial green walls. Come rain, sunshine, or snow, they look their best year-round. No browning leaves, wilting flowers, or dying stalks – faux plants give you that consistent look you desire throughout their lives.

If aesthetics is your concern with green walls, as it should be, it’s a good idea to get only a premium and high-quality artificial green wall so you get the same look as a live plant wall. Low-quality ones can look just as tacky as those from two decades ago!

Artificial garden walls are a breeze to install

Let’s look at what it takes to install a live green wall first. To start off, you’ll need to install a framework to hold the plant containers. Next, you’ll need to build a drip irrigation network to water the plants continuously. Then, you’ll have to plant each plant individually in the containers along with its growing medium.

Even with hiring a professional plant wall contractor, the whole process of installing a live vertical wall is tedious, complicated, and time-consuming, to say the least.

Against this, installing an artificial garden wall is not just simpler and easier but also a lot quicker. Most of them come as 1mx1m panels with a pre-assembled plastic mesh backing that allows them to be attached to various surfaces like wood, concrete, metal, stone, and even wire fences. To fix them, you can use simple techniques like staples, heavy-duty double-sided tapes, or zip ties that are easily available in hardware stores. Plus, they come with A/B connectors, so you can clip several panels together to make an artificial plant screen of any size you want! Installing these panels requires no special expertise and can be done in all of one afternoon.

An artificial plant screen needs almost no maintenance

The problem with a live vertical garden is that even after the complicated installation, it demands a lot of effort when it comes to maintenance. The live plants ask for not just time and dedication but also a fair bit of gardening knowledge if they’re to survive!

Apart from rotating the growth medium every few months, you also need to prune the overgrown plants and replace the dead ones to maintain the desired aesthetic. It’s not just the plants; you also need to maintain the irrigation system and repair any blockages from time to time.

On the other hand, a faux garden wall comes with almost none of those maintenance hassles or green-thumb demands. They’re ultra-low-maintenance! To maintain your artificial plants, all you need to do is dust them clean every once in a while. Use a soft long duster or brush to dislodge the dust and mites. For more stubborn grime, simply wipe your plants with a damp cloth.

Artificial vertical gardens cost less than live ones

Cost can often be the deciding factor in decor decisions, especially when it’s as stark as in the case between artificial and real green walls.

As is evident from the elaborate installation process, live plant walls come at a huge one-time cost, to begin with. Not only must you pay for the materials- the plants, their growing medium, the irrigation system, the framework, etc., but you also need to pay for the services of an expert team. It doesn’t help that the maintenance costs also add up over time.

Considering the installation and maintenance expenses, artificial green walls cost a mere fraction of what live plant walls do. They come at a one-time cost only, with little to no maintenance expenses. Even if you opt for premium-quality artificial plants, you’ll still save huge sums against the live plant wall.

Artificial plant walls come with endless design possibilities

With artificial plants, the world is your oyster! Unlike real plants, you’re not bound by the limitations of climate and seasons on your green wall design.

You can make combinations of different flowers without worrying about a clash in their blooming seasons. If that’s the aesthetic you desire, then no worries about two plants that wouldn’t naturally grow in harmony with each other either! You can even go for plant varieties that require super-specific climate conditions to grow – conditions that your location wouldn’t support.

Whether you want your artificial plant screen made up of a mix of ferns, laurels, and boxwoods or simply a bed of alternating strips of white hydrangea flowers and variegated leaves, your design options with artificial green walls are limitless.

Artificial plant walls are more durable than live plant walls

As mentioned earlier, the durability of live garden walls depends on microclimate and maintenance. They’re also subject to the attack of bugs, insects, flies, and rats.

On the other hand, artificial plants are made of polyester or high-grade plastics like polyethylene that are incredibly durable and can last for years without any visible damage. In fact, many outdoor artificial plants also come coated with a UV-protection layer that increases their durability against constant sun exposure. Artificial green walls made with UV-protected plants are the way to go for any exterior vertical garden installation – whether it’s to cover up a fence, serve as a backdrop for events or become a highlight décor element at the entrance.

Artificial garden walls can be placed anywhere- indoors or outdoors

Green walls made of real plants need to be placed such that each plant gets adequate sunlight. This automatically makes it difficult to place green walls indoors unless there’s a massive skylight or glass façade that lets light in.

Outdoors too; you need to ensure that your green wall isn’t facing the sun directly to prevent the risk of them burning and drying up. The green wall’s placement should also ensure that its other practical needs, like watering, fertilizing and pruning, can be met smoothly, without making a mess.

Artificial green walls come with no placement restrictions and can be used as décor in any part of the building – indoors or outdoors. Use them to infuse a garden-like feel indoors in your lobby, living room, hallway, restaurant, bar, etc., without worrying about creating a mess. If you’re placing them outside, all you need to make sure is that the outdoor artificial plants are UV-protected.

Ultimately, choosing between a live vertical garden and an artificial one is a personal decision based on your preferences. What’s crucial is to be aware of and to weigh the pros and cons while making either choice.

Considering the many practical, monetary, and aesthetic factors, it’s pretty evident that an artificial garden wall is a better choice when compared to a live garden wall. We live in a busy world where finding the time and dedication to ensure your green wall stays healthy and green isn’t easy. Most of us wouldn’t want to or be able to do it.

read more  »