Living Walls

A basic living wall is a plant such as ivy vines growing up the side of a building. A more complex living wall uses an engineered trellis system with plants rooted into a growing medium within the structure, but separate from the building. This system allows for more creative options. The most complex living walls systems include four elements: growing media, structural support, integrated irrigation and a drainage system.

Living walls flourish inside with the right lighting, or outside in almost any climate. They can be planted randomly or display intricate patterns. Living walls can use a recirculating irrigation system, drip irrigation with a drain, or be watered by hand.

Good Earth Plant Company conducted long-term trials of 20 different systems. We confidently recommend the best system for your location and individual needs. We know which plants work best in each setting, including how to choose and install the right irrigation system; how to make adjustments for lighting; and ongoing maintenance needs.

Our clients include homeowners, business owners, facilities managers, architects, landscape architects, interior designers, developers and general contractors. We install living walls in offices, lobbies, homes, schools, shopping malls, retail stores, restaurants, hotels, car dealers, and nonprofit settings.

Living walls conserve energy by insulating the building envelope. This reduces the need for heating in the winter and cooling in the summer. They create biodiversity, conservation opportunities, and can absorb and filter stormwater, which reduces local water body pollution and helps prevent the overwhelming of municipal stormwater infrastructure.

Planting Seeds at ASLA San Diego Living Architecture Mixer

Plenty of seeds were planted at the ASLA San Diego Living Architecture Mixer at Good Earth Plants.
It’s hard to say who enjoyed our recent Good Earth Plants and GreenScaped Buildings Living Architecture Mixer for ASLA San Diego: the hosts, or the attendees. It’s fair to say everyone had a great time. We welcomed 80 attendees including Landscape Architects, Architects, and Interior Designers. Food was eaten, drinks were had, and knowledge was shared. Many professionals viewed, touched, and experienced our dozens of Living Wall and Green Roof demos in our Good Earth Plant Company Living Lab. Even our bar had a green roof. Our rooftop irrigation system turned while our attendees were viewing our original green roof on the GEP HQ building.… Read More

Challenge Plus Creativity = One Beautiful Birthday Present, A Living Wall

Sometimes square pegs fit in round holes: a living wall on a curved surface.
Nobody loves a challenge more than GreenScaped Buildings. A potential client who had seen the stunning installation at Spring Hill Suites in Oceanside tracked us down at the end of May, and called us in to look at his proposed project. He wanted to surprise his wife for her birthday and give her a 112 square foot living wall at the front entry of their house. How’s that for a unique and spectacular present? We loved the idea. He was set on the style of the wall being succulents in a tight pattern. Here is what the original wall looks like as a reminder: This raised two huge challenges: 1) How to overcome his three week lead time: First, the manufacturer’s lead time to get us the wall materials is four weeks.… Read More

Good Earth Plants Hosts ASLA Living Architecture Mixer on Thursday, July 17

Join us on July 17 for the ALSA mixer at Good Earth Plant Company.
Are you a landscape designer or architect? Are you an interior designer or a space planner? Do things like sustainability, energy reduction and storm water retention excite you? Would you like to learn how living walls and green roofs can benefit your work? Then Thursday, July 17 is your lucky day! Good Earth Plant Company and our sister company Greenscaped Buildings will host an open house and mixer for the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) on Thursday, July 17, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Good Earth Plants has specialized in containerized “plantscapes” (anything in a pot or planter) with award winning service and design since 1977.… Read More

Living Architecture: Beyond the Eye

GreenScaped Buildings designed and installed this living wall for The Irvine Company, an excellent example of "Nature In The Space."
There are so many benefits of living walls and green roofs, but you don’t have to take our word for it. The Summer 2014 issue of Living Architecture Monitor magazine features businesses which have recently installed living architecture discussing the improvements in the health and well-being of employees, as well as a positive side effect: increased property values. GreenScaped Buildings client Irvine Company Office Properties is included in the article, “How Green Roofs & Walls Have Impacted Building Occupants’ Well-Being,” Irvine Company manager Sherry Mashadian explains, “The living wall is definitely one of the greater features to the building and added value to the project.… Read More

Vertical Forests: Green New Heights

The "Bosco Verticale" or vertical forest built by Boeri Studio in Milan, Italy.
  Italian architect Stefano Boeri came up with the concept of “Bosco Verticale,” or Vertical Forest, as a way to combine high-density residential development with tree planting in urban settings. Now his first project in Milan, Italy is nearly finished. It’s a twin tower apartment complex. I’ve been tracking this project for a couple of years now. What a project! Over 700 tress, 11,000 groundcover plants and 5,000 shrubs. I sure would like to get the maintenance contact on this baby. Can you image how beautiful the view is while framed by plants? Take a look for yourself here and I’m sure you will agree.… Read More

Greenroofs.com video: Seasons 52 Edible Wall & Living Wall

GreenScaped Buildings is thrilled to be part of the featured project of the week on the leading industry website Greenroofs.com The GreenScaped Buildings team installed both an edible wall and a living wall on the patio at the Seasons 52 restaurant in Santa Monica, California. We love all our projects, but we admit this one exceeded our expectations thanks to the passion of our client at Seasons 52, especially Executive Chef Clifford Pleau who originally envisioned the living chef’s garden inside the restaurant, a first. There are 125 types of culinary herbs on the wall, and now all the chefs and the bartenders make use of those herbs in food and beverages.… Read More

Don’t Miss The Plant Bargains at the Good Earth Plants Open House

We are knee-deep in palms, ficus and orchids here at Good Earth Plants and busy getting ready to welcome you to our Spring Plant Sale and Open House on Friday, April 24 from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Have you sent your RSVP yet? What are you waiting for! The greenhouse and demonstration garden have never looked better with living wall and green roof displays and “Plant Portrait” samples fully planted and lush with spring growth. Some of the smaller living walls will be on sale and you can take one home with you. We also have a number of assorted items for sale from indoor green plants and pottery  to 10-foot Queen palm trees.… Read More

Welcome Spring at the Good Earth Plants Open House and Plant Sale

The Good Earth Plant Company green roof seven years ago and today.
The buds are bursting, hotels are filled and days are longer. It must be spring in San Diego.  It’s also time for the Good Earth Plants crew to sweep up and dust off our warehouse and demo garden so we can show off some exciting new projects at our Open House and Plant Sale on Friday, April 25 from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Opening the doors to guests is a great way for us to see our operation with fresh eyes. Our talented staff coaxes new growth to show off our living wall displays and our now seven-year-old green roof, one of the first in San Diego.… Read More

GreenScaped Buildings: Top Five Green Roofs and Living Walls Trends

Take a look at our latest: the innovative living wall at LPL Financial including a flat screen TV display.
If I am still awake at 11:45 p.m., I am compelled to prop my eyes open long enough to catch late night talk show host David Letterman’s “Top Ten List.” He keeps things light while skating right on the edge of being controversial. Good stuff! While my list isn’t quite as edgy or as long, my Top Five Green Roofs and Living Walls Trends are a cool way to quickly catch up on what’s new in our industry. The benefits of having a green roof are tremendous, from long-term energy savings to being just plain beautiful. It’s a growing niche business and we are proud as parents when one gets completed and is up and growing on its own.… Read More

News from Good Earth Plant Company: March 2014 Newsletter

Click here to read the March 2014 edition of the Good Earth Plant Company Leaflet newsletter. Highlights this issue include: Read about our latest activities in the President’s Letter Learn about our featured project, the new living wall at LPL Financial Find out about upcoming green living events Plus: Thanks A Bunch!, Lunch & Learn (CEU Program), and Good Earth Plants Is Hiring Get our newsletter first by signing up for our newsletter email list. Visit the home page of our website and scroll to the end of the page to provide us your email address.