Plants have become an inextricable part of our lives, and for good reason. Our increasingly urban lifestyles take us further away from nature. Yet we’re only beginning to understand the benefits of and the necessity of our connection to nature. Studies have shown that being in a natural environment surrounded by nature can have a calming and stress alleviating effect. But studies have also shown that we can experience the benefits of nature regardless of location, by bringing natural elements into our environments. This is the principle of biophilic design. The practical application of biophilia is plantscaping, the art of incorporating plants into environments, across residential or public spaces.

Green walls are an essential element of plantscaping, especially in urban environments where space is limited, and spaces are often vertically oriented. Green walls are also known as vertical gardens or living walls. Essentially they are structural frameworks designed to support plants, together with their roots and growing medium. A green wall is distinct from a trellis type of structure where the plants - typically vines - are rooted in the ground and grow upwards on a frame. The most common types of green wall systems are tray, matrix and pocket systems. Usually these systems are attached to some sort of substrate, rather than directly to a wall, to protect the wall from any possible moisture transfer. 

As green wall experts, one of the most common questions we get is whether any plant can be housed in a green wall. The short answer is no. But there are many factors that go into plant selection, and many options to choose from. When we design an interior or exterior green wall, we evaluate the site’s environmental conditions, such as light strength and quality, water availability and pH, and ambient humidity.

Here we discuss our top picks for the best plants to use in interior green walls. Although we use a wide variety of plants, these are the ones we keep coming back to, for the reasons you’ll read below. 

Know Your Green Wall System

Before selecting your plants, be sure to understand how they will be supported by the green wall structure. Will they be in soil or in growing media? Will they be hand watered or irrigated? Is the irrigation a drip system or a wicking system? When considering light, remember that likely not all parts of the green wall will get the same light exposure.

Know Your Interior Plant Environment

Whether in a home, an office or in a restaurant, interior living green walls generally enjoy a more controlled environment than outdoor green walls. Often the temperature and humidity are relatively static throughout the year. However, the natural variance in humidity is still enough to take into consideration. Here in Arizona and in other arid locations, the year-round indoor humidity will still be lower than in more temperate regions.

Indoor conditions of higher humidity and warm temperatures naturally make tropical plants a good choice for indoor green, just as they are traditionally good as house plants. In fact many of the most popular varieties of house plants originate in tropical climates. Nearly all of our top 10 plants for indoor green walls are tropical, but all of them also have some additional key characteristics. Because of the vertical configuration of green wall, we will nearly always want to include plants that trail downwards for a cascading effect. Ideally, our trailing plants will also have some volume from the root, to fill their space in the wall. We also look for species that have good leaf fill, interesting colors and varieties of leaf shape. Perhaps most importantly, they must also be hardy and able to thrive in unusual conditions. 

Top 10 Plants for Indoor Living Green Walls

1. Pothos

2. Maranta

3. Fern

4. Spider Plant

5. Dracaena

6. Syngonium

7. Peperomia

8. Tradescantia

9. Palm

10. Ivy

Pothos

There are many different varieties of Pothos that will love life in your living walls. Place these plants anywhere in the wall as they can handle a multitude of different living conditions.

Maranta

Marantas will enjoy the medium light areas on your wall near your irrigation. Here they’ll get watered thoroughly and stay humid between waterings. Leave space for them to fan out their leaves and move to the circadian rhythm.

Fern

Ferns will do best close to the irrigation system so they can take in a lot of water and humidity. Mist them often to keep them happy. They can tolerate low to bright indirect light in your wall.

Spider Plant

If planted properly spider plants will thrive in your living wall and send off pups and flowers. Place these plants in a well draining section of the wall such as the middle. Plant large plants securely into the wall for the best results. They can live in low to bright indirect light.

Dracaena

Dracaenas are a low light plant that will add unique color and leaf shape to your wall. They can tolerate the dryer and darker spots of your living wall.

Syngonium

From bright pink to dark green you can select many different types of syngoniums to plant into your living wall. These plants are resilient and fast growing; they can tolerate nearly any condition on your wall but will thrive with medium to bright indirect light.

Peperomia

There are endless options of peperomias to use in your living walls. Place your peperomias into the lower light areas of your wall or beneath the canopy of another plant. They will do best in the middle/ bottoms of your walls where the media drains quickly. The best part is that they’re pet safe!

Tradescantia

Choose from a large selection of varieties of Tradescantia. These plants can tolerate your lower light areas on your wall. plant them further away from the irrigation system where they will have a chance to dry out thoroughly between waterings.

Palm

Palms are a great upright plant for living walls. Palms do best on the sides to the middle of your living wall. They can handle a variety of lighting conditions from Low light to bright indirect light. Be sure they are getting sufficient water. Most varieties of palms are pet safe!

Ivy

Ivy beautifully fills your living wall as it cascades down. Plant ivy in medium to bright indirect light. It is a great filler for a smaller space with its fine roots. Ivy enjoys being misted and planted next to similar humidity loving plants. Great next to water holding tanks.

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