Are Vertical Gardens a Landscape Design Trend or are They Here to Stay?
Over the years, as with most landscape and home design, there tend to be trends that come and go. Today we’re here to discuss vertical gardens, and whether or not we see them sticking around. It seems lately that vertical gardens have risen quite rapidly in popularity, but why?
Vertical gardens are a great option for people with limited space who want to add some greenery to their environment. If you live in an apartment with a patio or balcony, you can easily get more foliage into your space by utilizing a vertical garden. This isn’t exactly a new concept and has been utilized in the past, but why have they spiked so drastically in popularity? Are they going to fade out like many other design and decor trends, or are they here to stay? This may leave you wondering, is all this time and effort worth it or is this vertical garden thing just a trend that will once again go out of style? Well let’s take a closer look…
What we know about trends is that they tend to be short lived and eventually fade away, but they may have the chance of coming back in style at some point in the future. Everything from fashion, decor, music to gardening and landscape have had major trends that have stayed in a steady cycle overtime. That leads us to the idea that maybe this vertical garden thing is just another trend that will inevitably go out of style.
However, as cities have grown drastically as more people flock into trendy urban areas, the living spaces have gotten smaller and smaller. For those living in larger cities, there may be no opportunity for them to have a garden. But, vertical gardens offer a solution to this problem.
For residents of smaller living spaces, the vertical nature of these gardens make them much easier to install, are more practical for apartment living and much simpler to maintain. Sometimes it can feel very sterile and industrial living in an apartment with no greenery, so in this case, vertical gardens are a great option for people who want to add more life into their space.
Studies have shown that having plants in your home not only adds a more natural and inviting feeling to your space but can actually offer many benefits to both our physical and mental health. House plants actually take in many toxins in the air and can help reduce pollution in your home. They also absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the atmosphere, cleansing the air that we breathe. This boost in oxygen can have a positive impact on our health and can help calm down allergies and even boost your mood, concentration, productivity and creativity.
Many people will add plants to their home and office because the mere presence of greenery has been shown to boost your mood and lead to more positive emotions. In many cities, such as New York, vertical gardens have been added to the exterior of the buildings. The main reason for this is to help with the poor air quality that they can experience during peak pollution times during the year. As an added plus, it has been found that the addition of vertical and rooftop gardens has allowed wildlife to thrive and the local population of birds and insects can once again live in peace in these cities.
Put quite simply, vertical gardens have quite a charm about them. When done right, they can be very aesthetically pleasing and add a unique beautiful accent to any area. Many restaurants, coffee shops, offices and storefronts have been adding vertical gardens to elevate their environment. By adding plants to a space, whether it is your home, office building or a restaurant, they can completely transform the atmosphere and make it a more welcoming and inviting place to be. Obviously, as mentioned earlier, having plants in your space can bring many benefits, but on top of that it also can allow for a very natural decor option that changes and evolves overtime as it grows. Compared to traditional decor, plants can be a much more inexpensive way to spice up your home accents and over time as the plants grow it can change and you can even see the different flowers and plants blooming during the different seasons throughout the year, which is a very fun and exciting thing to experience.
Another reason to love vertical gardens is that they are an environmentally friendly way to help cities counteract their carbon footprint. While this goes along with the fact that space is continually dwindling in major cities, the eco-friendly nature of these gardens can be a huge benefit almost anywhere. More public places, such as airports, museums and other larger areas, could utilize vertical gardens to create a more eco-friendly environment while simultaneously adding visual interest.
With pressing environmental issues such as destructive fires, rising sea levels and more, we need as many eco-friendly options as we can get. With the rise of green thinking, we don’t see vertical gardens going out of style any time soon. More people living in cities are trying to find ways to help the environment and lower their greenhouse gas emissions. Moving away from a carnivorous diet and reducing the use of single use plastics and other items can make an immense difference. Additionally, bringing a vertical garden into your home or apartment can help with air circulation and taking in carbon dioxide from our atmosphere, which is better for us and the planet.
While it is true that vertical gardens haven’t always been popular and the rise in their demand has spiked more recently, we don’t think that these gardens are just another trend that will disappear in a short time. Especially with the rise in small space living, environmental conscientiousness, and knowledge on the benefits of plants for mental and physical health. We think that these gardens are a fantastic option to get more greenery into your living space or work environment. If you need more inspiration or ideas about how to create your own vertical garden, feel free to check out this step by step blog post on how to do just that!