The past decade has seen an overwhelming emergence of green roofs and vertical gardens, designed to combat the lack of flora in the city. Buildings around the world—from the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco—have embraced green walls or roofs for their economical, environmental, and aesthetic values. Vertical farms and gardens are also being envisioned as new ways to feed local and organic foods to city dwellers. Largely based on the principles of hydro-ponics, vertical gardens are mostly self-sustaining because they capture large amounts of natural sunlight and water, and use wind as an energy source. In a country where cities are suffocated by high rises, cement and industrial materials, where can green space exist? One possible answer is “up”.

I highly recommend this exhibit. The American Institute of Architects, San Francisco Chapter and the Center for Architecture + Design Gallery are presenting “Vertical Gardens”, on view February 25 – April 30, 2010.  The address is 130 Sutter Street, M-F 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Sunset magazine website has a “how to” for succulent panels.

http://www.sunset.com/garden/backyard-projects/diy-vertical-succulent-garden-project-00400000063442/

Other vertical garden options on the Sunset website.

http://www.sunset.com/garden/how-to-garden-anywhere-00400000064907/

I hope you enjoyed this article and it was inspiring!

Matthew Schoenwald

http://www.calypsolandscape.com