Greening House Walls for Better Air, Shade, and Insulation

 

photo Doris-Maria Heilmann

Driving through a residential area in St. Antonio, Texas I saw beautiful green walls on a home and planned to come back to take photos of this smart use of evergreen plants which cooled this good-looking home.  The climbing plants were not directly attached to the masonry, but rather five inches away.  A two-foot-high narrow (10 inches/25 cm deep) planter holds a metal lattice on which the plants can climb like on grids, detached 5 inches from the house walls. 

In cooler climates, further north, such as in Canada, climbing hydrangeas, especially on north and east walls are your best bet. For south and west sites, blooming clematis would be a good choice.

The Global Climate is Getting Hotter!

The number of hot days and tropical nights in the city area is rising continuously.  The city of Vienna must counteract these effects of the climate crisis.  An effective means of combating summer overheating in the city is green facades.  The vegetation causes buildings to heat up less and creates a pleasant microclimate.  In Austria, for example, there are already many examples of houses in Vienna that have been greened even with very simple means.  Greening of facades is mandatory in the case of new regulations or amendments to zoning and development plans.

.

Milan Green Tower

.

- Counteracts heat islands as well as noise and pollutant pollution

- Applies throughout the city, including industrial areas

- Applies in existing neighborhoods and new urban development areas

- Prerequisites:

- Specified building height above 7.5 meters

- From 26 meters building height no prescription (fire protection)

- Greening is not prescribed for single-family houses, garden settlements, allotment garden areas

- Exceptions are possible where special local conditions require it.

- The City of Vienna subsidizes street-side facade greening up to a maximum height of 5,200 euros.

https://www.wien.gv.at/stadtentwicklung/strategien/bestimmung-fassadenbegruenung.html

Climbing plants protect the facade from heat, wind,  and weather and beautify any house wall.  Here comes our selection of the best climbing plants for the facade: clematis, climbing roses, wild vine, ivy, and climbing hydrangea.  All are absolutely hardy, robust, and easy to care for.  

Evergreen plants prefer shady or semi-shady north or northeast facades, while deciduous climbers feel particularly at home on sunny southwest or southeast facades - like Clematis. Which climbing plants are suitable for the facade?

• Climbing vine
• Climbing roses
• Wild vine or Ivy
• Climbing hydrangea
• 

For small wall areas, or between two windows, you can even use a hanging shoe organizer with 8 deep pockets.  Fill them with soil and plant colorful, hanging plants.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPHVJGNL

.

Benefits:

As a kind of natural air conditioning system, the facade greenery 

• 
  
• Balances out temperature and humidity fluctuations and protects against intense sunlight, driving
  rain, and erosion - which ultimately also prolongs the durability of the facade.
• Evergreen climbing plants protect against wind and cold as an insulating buffer layer, which reduces heating or air conditioning costs.
• In addition, green facades have a positive impact on the microclimate around the house by providing pleasantly humidified air, reducing pollutant levels, and acting as dust filters. The surface area of a planted wall is about six times larger than that of a bare wall and can therefore also absorb six times as many dust particles.
• Some municipalities support green facades with subsidies. It's best to check with your local building department to see what regulations apply to your community.
  
  .

photo Doris-Maria Heilmann

Additional Benefit in European Cities:  

Every time I am in Europe, it shocks me how reckless young guys are destroying the beauty of buildings (often heritage houses) due to brainless spraying. The cost to remove these tags is immense!  Planted walls will deter sprayers from using house walls for their tagging.

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright:  “A doctor can bury his mistakes, 

but an architect can only advise his client to plant living walls.”

Green Roofs

However, green walls are not all a house or building owner can do to help the climate and produce clean air:  Green roofs not only contribute greatly to the creation of green spaces in cities, but in additionally, homeowners save on energy costs due to good natural insulation.  Rainwater is retained and can slowly evaporate again.  This humidification of the air enables a cooling of up to three degrees Celsius.  The retention of rainwater is also an important flood protection during heavy rainfall. 

Green roofs can also mitigate noise pollution in townhouses.  Evergreen, foliage-bearing plants dampen sound.  In addition, green roofs make an important contribution to combating particulate pollution in large cities:  one square meter of green roofs can bind up to five kilograms of CO2 annually, and also filters around 0.2 kilograms of suspended particles from the air each year.

Green roofs as a habitat for people and animals.  Depending on the size, accessibility, and type of roof, green roofs can be designed to provide a natural recreational and retreat space for people. In this type of intensive green roof, grass, perennials, shrubs, and even trees are planted on the roof. Green seating areas can be created, as well as space for raised beds.

Another plus: Extensive green roofs are very low-maintenance.  However, architects and gardeners should always be consulted when planning a green roof.  Especially in the case of flat roofs, the load-bearing capacity plays a roof greening is a good way to make a lasting change to the cityscape and make life in cities more pleasant.  

Biodiversity, air quality, and microclimate are improved, temperature fluctuations are better balanced, and, in addition, roof gardens give city dwellers a relaxing place to spend their leisure time as green oases.  Many municipalities and cities also offer subsidy programs for private individuals for green roofs and facades.

photo Gena-Chris-Bronson-Boot

Resources & Inspirations:

DIY Outdoor Wall Building

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQfOHKJLICk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUm2CTdtX_8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaSVugf6IPc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLOxML1dDYU

https://livewall.com/idea-guide/

https://livewall.com/products/outdoor/

https://livewall.com/benefits/#food

Singapore, the Green City

The last part of this video (the commentary is in the German language) shows how the city of Singapore incorporates gardens into and onto high-rises, making it a green city.

https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/planet-wissen/blumen-baeume-buesche-was-bringt-mehr-gruen-in-der-stadt/ard alpha/Y3JpZDovL3dkci5kZS9CZWl0cmFnLWY1NGQ2MDhhLWExMjQtNGU5NC04MGJlLTAyOTJkNGRkNzNlNw

https://www.mein-eigenheim.de/gartengestaltung/kletterpflanzen-fassade.html  (German language)

https://constructive-voices.com/vietnam-top-green-buildings/

https://archi.capital/facades/plants

https://greenroofs.org/about-green-walls

https://greenology.sg/urban-greening/

https://www.temasek.com.sg/en/news-and-resources/stories/sustainability/generational-investing/the-healing-touch-of-nature

https://www.futurarc.com/people/veera-sekaran/

https://good2goco.ca/products/earth-studio-modular-vertical-garden-80-pot-kit-garden-set

https://www.amazon.ca/Pockets-Vertical-Hanging-Growing-Planting/dp/B08LGL4V26/

https://www.plantsonwalls.com/

https://www.greenadelaide.sa.gov.au/news/2022-build-green-wall-home

https://www.greencity.de/projekt/justnature/

https://www.greencity.de/projekt/quartierswende/

https://www.s3i.co.uk/facadeplantingadvice.php

https://www.treehugger.com/villa-m-paris-triptyque-architecture-5271129

https://www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com/realisations/paris/quai-branly-jacques-chirac-museum

https://www.edouardfrancois.com/

https://www.treehugger.com/why-did-people-build-houses-just-leak-heat-out-4853719

https://www.cbc.ca/life/home/everything-you-need-to-know-about-climbing-plants-and-how-to-choose-them-1.5736101

.

photo Patrick Hall

However, not only private homes benefit from green walls, but also office and industrial buildings should start to build living green walls to help offset the heat domes that cover our cities and towns in summer.  Governments and municipals need to create financial support and a legal framework to prepare for the future greening of our environment.

.

<><><><><>

Fall Garden Pleasures & Chores

 

Beautiful blooms, rich foliage, and dramatic seed heads abound. Dozens of bees are cruising around blooming Sedums, Japanese Anemones are showing off their beauty, and Hydrangeas are blooming even in shaded parts of the garden. Ornamental grasses are more attractive than in summer, Clematis might bloom for a second time and some Roses are still providing spectacular colors well into Fall. In a few weeks it will all be gone, so take some time to enjoy the warm October afternoons outdoors in your glorious fall garden!

.

Bring Indoor Plants In

The end of October (or early November) is then filled with fall garden chores - from cutting back dying perennials, to planting bulbs and preparing the indoor plants for their return back into the house.  Potted plants need to be re-potted especially the tropicals in outdoor containers.  Add new potting mix and increase the pot by one size to keep them happy all winter.  This will be the last feeding until March. Make sure to check for any critters and pests before bringing anything inside, and consider applying insecticidal soap to the soil after re-potting (it leaches down into the new pot).  You can also hang sticky pads on them to catch tiny flies.

Leaves

Remove leaves from your lawn, or otherwise the grass underneath can rot.  But do it NOT with leaf vacuums or leaf blowers.  Experts advise against using leaf vacuums or leafblowers.  Leafblowers are a disaster for the environment.  They destroy the upper layer of the earth and with it many organisms that try to live there.  Apart from the noise, devices with combustion engines emit harmful exhaust gases such as carbon, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. Also, small animals are literally chopped up when using suction devices.

Lawns

White grubs are a common turf and lawn pest, and beneficial nematodes can be a very effective (and safe!) control.  However, it is important to treat at the right time of year, based on the white grubs’ life cycle, to ensure good control.  Treating them in early fall is ideal, as that is when the smaller, young grubs are most susceptible to nematodes.  Heteromask is a preferred product against white grubs, but Scanmask is also effective.  Focus treatment on sunny areas of your lawn/turf or on any areas that show signs of grub damage.  Heteromask comes in a spray formulation, and you can use the Nema-Jet, a hose-end sprayer or a watering can (for smaller areas) to apply

Lawns are hungry as well. Early October is the time for your second application of fertilizer with a “winterizer” type on the label, one with an NPK (nitrogen/phosphorous/potassium) of around 28-0-14.

You should mow your lawn for the last time this year by the end of November at the latest - after that there's no point, as you may even harm it if it has to survive the winter after being shorn too short. It's best to set your lawn mower higher so that your lawn can catch enough sunlight even in the cold season and doesn't give uninvited guests such as moss a chance to grow in.

Rake the leaves from the paths into the beds on the left and right - but not higher than 3 inches.  Mark where you have plants to avoid trampling on them in early spring.  The layer of leaves provides frost protection for the plants in winter and also attracts blackbirds, for example, which pick pests out of the beds.  Leaves also help plant growth in the long term.  The leaves gradually decompose and become valuable fertilizer and soil.  Nature has the very best recycling system.  It's unbeatable!

You can also cover flower and vegetable beds with fresh compost: It can mature over the winter and provides the plants with an ideal breeding ground when they develop new shoots in the spring.

.

Hedges & Shrubs

In gardens and parks, densely growing shrubs and hedges create visual accents.  For property owners, especially those who live directly on a street, hedges serve primarily as privacy screens.  But hedges are not an attractive substitute for a fence, they serve as a habitat for many animals.  For this reason, there are a few things to keep in mind when trimming hedges:

Hedges should only be trimmed between October and the end of February.  Between March and September, some native bird species use the densely growing hedge plants as a shelter to first build a nest undisturbed by humans and predators and later raise their young ones in it.  However, as soon as the first strong frost sets in, it is important to stop pruning your trees and shrubs, as the cuts will no longer close. 

Usually, hedges are cut with hedge shears.  The fastest and most efficient way is to use the electric version.  A little more practical, but also a few dollars more expensive, are models that are powered by a battery.  Hedges should be cut conically, a little narrower towards the top.  The reason is quite simple: The lower branches get much less light with a straight cut.  In the worst case, they become bare or stunted.  That's why the base of any hedge should be about 20 inches wider than the top.  Donate an additional layer of mulch to the soil under the hedge.  This favors the nutrient balance and pleases numerous microorganisms.

.

No Need to Cut Roses in Fall

Older varieties of roses lay the flower buds already in the previous year and then unfold all their beauty only once - in early summer.  The problem is that the new shoots do not produce new flowers in the same year.  This means that they will not bear a single flower in summer if they are pruned as radically as roses that bloom more often.  Tip: Thin out such roses only slightly in spring so that the crown does not become too dense.

Prune Roses in Spring:

Be patient and wait to prune roses until no more heavy (night) frosts are expected.  So, about after the forsythia bush flowers have faded.  The 'eyes', i.e. the places where a rose can form side shoots, play an important role when pruning roses.  If you cut the shoot too close over an eye or side shoot, they could dry out.  What would be left behind - instead of a fragrant flower - would be an unsightly stub.  Therefore, place the scissors about five millimeters above the uppermost eye and cut the shoot at a slight downward angle.  This prevents water from collecting, which would provide a perfect breeding ground for pathogens.

For shrub roses, cut back to no more than half the shoot length.  Otherwise, long and unstable shoots will develop.  The procedure is different again for climbing roses.  Here, the previous year's shoots remain uncut and are only slightly thinned out. 

It’s also time to plant lots of bulbs for spectacular spring blooming.  Pay attention to the planting depth as listed on the packages.  Dividing perennials is a great way to make your beds fuller.  Lift plants carefully from the hole and shake off excess soil.  Remove any dead stems and foliage.  Separate the root system in half down from the middle, using two garden spades or forks or a sharp knife.  Replant in a new hole with fresh soil and water thoroughly.  If there is no rain during the next days, water these 'new' plants at least three times a week.

Keep pulling up the summer veggies as they ripen, and make room for fall crops, such as turnips, beets, onions, spinach, or Brussels sprouts.  Composting summer plants will improve your soil next spring.

Read more: 

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/bgen/bulbs-for-shade-gardens.htm

https://biologicco.wpengine.com/blog/faq-how-to-kill-white-grubs-with-nematodes/

https://www.cbc.ca/life/home/how-to-prepare-your-garden-for-winter-1.6623540

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/25/1131114849/leaves-fall-autumn-compost-mulch-grass-lawn-nutrients

.

<><><><><>

.