The Ultimate Guide To Artificial Green Walls

What is a green wall

A green wall is a vertical plant structure that can be attached to internal or external walls. These vertical gardens have become hugely popular in recent years. You can choose a living green wall or artificial green wall. In this Ultimate Guide to Artificial Green Walls, we will explore the differences between the two and what to look out for when purchasing your next green wall.

The benefits of green walls

There are so many benefits to green walls, including the fact that they are a dynamic decorative element. There’s a reason so many architects and designers have been utilising them in their designs! 

Green walls are also good for your health: frequently looking at plants have been proven to reduce strain on overtired eyes, and can even lower your blood pressure and reduce feelings of anxiety. Exterior green walls also have the added benefit of aiding in building insulation by providing shade, and interior green walls are great at absorbing noise.

Living green wall VS. Artificial green wall

There are two options if you would like to install a green wall – living green walls or artificial green walls. Living green walls are made of living plants along with a growing medium, whereas artificial green walls are made of artificial plants. While both types of walls are equally stunning in aesthetic, there are some key differences between the two.

Living green walls are generally a little more difficult to maintain compared to artificial green walls, as they require frequent watering and weeding. There are also many more elements to maintain in a living green wall – a whole system, in fact. Aside from plants, a living green wall also consists of soil, irrigation, and drainage system, which all require frequent maintenance.

Artificial green walls consists solely of artificial plants that do not need to be watered for sustenance or require a lot of maintenance (only the occasional wiping and dusting is required), which saves time, water, and energy. This also makes it quite cost-effective! 

Another way artificial green walls vary is that they are cost effective and is in how it stays gorgeously green for a very long time. Weeds, infection, and little critters can negatively impact – or even destroy – a living green wall, whereas artificial green walls are immune to those problems. 

Artificial green walls are also great for spaces with low light, where living plants would struggle to survive in. If there are any areas of your house in need of greenery but just isn’t suitable for living plants, then artificial green walls are a fantastic solution.

Another benefit of artificial green walls is that they are easy to install and even move around, and do not have a negative impact on the walls that they’re mounted on. Living green walls, however, have been shown to cause structural damage, including cracks from root damage and chronic dampness from moisture retention. 

Choosing an Artificial Green Wall

Artificial green walls come in many different shapes and sizes. At Designer Plants, our artificial plants come in individual panels, which you can certainly mix and match to create your own unique look. We can also help design a custom artificial green wall for you!

Perhaps you are after the more traditional look of hedge panels, and ivy leaves, or the sweet look of florals. Or maybe you’d like to spice things up with the more exotic look of jungle ferns and tropical plants. There are also a wide range of individual colourful plants that you may choose to add in. Or would a combination of them all suit you best? The options are endless!

Choosing the right type of artificial green wall requires a lot of consideration. For example, will it be indoors or outdoors? If you intend on installing your artificial green wall outside, you need to make sure your plants are UV resistant. 

Outdoor artificial green walls

If your faux green wall will be installed indoors, you’ll want to consider building requirements (some commercial buildings will need fire tested green walls). Just so you know, all our artificial green walls are UV resistant and we also have a luxury selection of green walls that are certified fire safe, so you can be sure to find something that suits your needs.

It’s also important to consider the function of your artificial green wall. While some of our clients want artificial green walls for their aesthetic value, quite a number of clients need artificial green walls to solve some kind of issue in their spaces. Sometimes it’s to hide an old wall and rundown fence. Sometimes it’s to conceal the necessary, but often not very aesthetically pleasing, structures like hot water systems. Always remember that no two green walls are alike – different green walls can complement a space in different ways. 

One great way to begin your journey in choosing the right green wall for you is to look for inspiration.

This stunning penthouse installation was part of a design brief “requiring the best money can buy”, in a multi-million dollar penthouse refurbishment. From the very beginning this green wall was about reflecting the personality of the owners. Having worked carefully with the owners a range of additional coloured plants were chosen to make the green wall “pop”, and bring a real sense of nature indoors. In developing your green wall, we can recommend and develop something truly suited to your needs. 

Now that you’ve gotten some idea of which green wall will suit your needs, you need to look into the cost. The artificial green wall panels on our website are either 90cm or 100cm squares, and can range from $80 to $600 per panel. The difference in price is usually because of factors like plant density, leaf size, foliage type, and the variety of plants in each panel.

Are you ready to buy your artificial green wall now? You can purchase your artificial green wall from a variety of vendors, including Designer Plants, of course. Be wary of lower quality artificial green plants that will discolour, fade or crack. These are often sold in large hardware or retailers, and even online. Designer Plants provides a 5 year guarantee that your wall don’t fade or crack. We know this as we’ve tested it ourselves, with thousands of customers and in independent scientific testing. Every time you buy Designer Plants, you get the highest quality.

Installing an Artificial Green Wall

An artificial green wall can be installed on a variety of surfaces, including plasterboard, timber, stone, brick, and concrete. The best way to install your artificial green wall will depend on where it is being installed. 

You will need a hammer, nails, and a drill to install your artificial green wall on a drywall, wood, brick or cement wall. If you’re installing your green wall onto a fence or mesh, you only need zip ties. 

Don’t have the required supplies? No worries, you can find everything you need for the installation of your artificial green wall right here at Designer Plants!

Common myths and misconceptions about Artificial Green Walls

Myth: Artificial green walls can get mouldy.

Reality: Our artificial green walls are actually mould resistant!

 

Myth: Artificial green walls get very dusty.

Reality: All household items get dusty! Artificial green walls can be dusted in the same way as the rest of your decorations, so dust won’t get to build up if you’re already dusting as part of your household or cleaning routine.

 

Myth: Artificial green walls are teeming with spiders nests.

Reality: Spiders love dark, quiet spaces, so if you clean and dust your artificial green wall, they won’t be building nests in there. Note, real plants are not immune to spiders either. We recommend you maintain good pest control for the comfort of your entire home.

 

Myth: Artificial green walls are not eco-friendly.

Reality: The truth is, all our green walls are made with 100% fully recyclable materials. Our plants are also ROHS compliant and certified non-toxic. Don’t forget, artificial green walls do not need to be watered, so they reduce the need for water consumption in your household. That’s great for the environment, especially drought prone areas.

 

Myth: Artificial hedges can be bought anywhere.

Reality: Whilst there may be many places that have small pieces of fake hedge tiles; high quality & realistic fake hedges are hard to find – for example many $2 shops fake hedges fall apart in months, and ‘off-gas’ toxic chemicals. The same can be said for fake green walls. 

For more information about artificial green walls, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!

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