Vertical Gardens
September 6, 2009 8:29 PM Subscribe
As a boy he grew plants up his bedroom wall. Patrick Blanc's most recent vertical garden is eight stories tall.
Awesome. It's like a house for really tall hobbits.
posted by orthogonality at 8:38 PM on September 6, 2009
posted by orthogonality at 8:38 PM on September 6, 2009
I like it. I like it a lot
posted by nickthetourist at 9:01 PM on September 6, 2009
posted by nickthetourist at 9:01 PM on September 6, 2009
What are the odds that, if he has a son, the boy will be named Jack?
posted by adipocere at 9:04 PM on September 6, 2009
posted by adipocere at 9:04 PM on September 6, 2009
His own site is verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com. Evil flash though.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 9:09 PM on September 6, 2009
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 9:09 PM on September 6, 2009
How to make your own:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF4Ii5FPh9M
posted by empath at 9:29 PM on September 6, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF4Ii5FPh9M
posted by empath at 9:29 PM on September 6, 2009
Awwwesome.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:34 PM on September 6, 2009
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:34 PM on September 6, 2009
That is just lovely. Thanks for this post.
posted by lazaruslong at 9:55 PM on September 6, 2009
posted by lazaruslong at 9:55 PM on September 6, 2009
It's a cool idea if you can manage it with low maintenance, but for a hotel they'd be able to work in the cost for grounds(walls?)keepers.
I'd imagine there are several ground covers would work well for creating vertical gardens that don't need weeding or mowing. Anything that catches a breeze would potentially get weedy.
posted by Salmonberry at 9:58 PM on September 6, 2009
I'd imagine there are several ground covers would work well for creating vertical gardens that don't need weeding or mowing. Anything that catches a breeze would potentially get weedy.
posted by Salmonberry at 9:58 PM on September 6, 2009
As a boy he grew plants up his bedroom wall.
Dude, I could have made a living from that? Duuuuude!
posted by rokusan at 10:50 PM on September 6, 2009
Dude, I could have made a living from that? Duuuuude!
posted by rokusan at 10:50 PM on September 6, 2009
Many of the plants he uses are species he brought back himself from across Asia.
Why does that not seem like such a great idea?
posted by octothorpe at 11:02 PM on September 6, 2009
Why does that not seem like such a great idea?
posted by octothorpe at 11:02 PM on September 6, 2009
See also: The wall was the first of its type to be installed in the UK and, as with anything new, carried a certain element of risk.
(bonus: can you spot the guy from the tax payer's alliance?)
posted by effbot at 12:43 AM on September 7, 2009
(bonus: can you spot the guy from the tax payer's alliance?)
posted by effbot at 12:43 AM on September 7, 2009
That's really cool, and I bet it cuts down a lot on their heating/cooling costs.... but I have to wonder how environmentally friendly it really is if they are having to irrigate it so often.
Not that I would be complaining if this guy busted up in my room and plastered plants all over my walls. Quite the opposite, really.
posted by WidgetAlley at 1:31 AM on September 7, 2009
Not that I would be complaining if this guy busted up in my room and plastered plants all over my walls. Quite the opposite, really.
posted by WidgetAlley at 1:31 AM on September 7, 2009
neat! ...also, it reminds me of this (quite nutty) girl i knew in art school...she used to staple-gun her leftovers to the wall and plant seeds in them (surprisingly, it didnt smell bad at all...but still, i doubt she got her security deposit back)
posted by sexyrobot at 2:26 AM on September 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by sexyrobot at 2:26 AM on September 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
It's not ivy!! It's a vertical garden.
posted by billysumday at 3:51 AM on September 7, 2009
posted by billysumday at 3:51 AM on September 7, 2009
See also: The wall was the first of its type to be installed in the UK and, as with anything new, carried a certain element of risk.
Seems a bit crass everyone getting excited about this when a very similar project* a few miles away just failed catastrophically.
I wonder if Wired will publish an awe retraction when the eight storey one goes the same way?
(* which I cycle past every day. They've cleaned out all the dead plants now - and the living ones - so it's too late to get a photo)
posted by cillit bang at 6:10 AM on September 7, 2009
Seems a bit crass everyone getting excited about this when a very similar project* a few miles away just failed catastrophically.
I wonder if Wired will publish an awe retraction when the eight storey one goes the same way?
(* which I cycle past every day. They've cleaned out all the dead plants now - and the living ones - so it's too late to get a photo)
posted by cillit bang at 6:10 AM on September 7, 2009
Darn Cilit bang I wish you did have pics - I've been hearing about these vertical gardens for a couple of years now, typically from moderately impractical-but-stylish places like Wallpaper or Dwell - and I suspected they don't really work in the long term. But they are pretty for a few weeks.
posted by pomegranate at 6:15 AM on September 7, 2009
posted by pomegranate at 6:15 AM on September 7, 2009
and I suspected they don't really work in the long term. But they are pretty for a few weeks.
This isn't his first garden. The one on Musee du quai Branly in Paris for example is doing fine.
posted by vacapinta at 6:34 AM on September 7, 2009
This isn't his first garden. The one on Musee du quai Branly in Paris for example is doing fine.
posted by vacapinta at 6:34 AM on September 7, 2009
pomegranate: The article effbot linked to has some good pictures, although they don't quite capture how vast the expanse of dead plants was.
posted by cillit bang at 7:07 AM on September 7, 2009
posted by cillit bang at 7:07 AM on September 7, 2009
This is really cool. I had an office filled with plants, some of which climbed the walls. It was a bear to take down when I got laid off. My coworkers were a little freaked when they came in and the 'green' office was gone.
I'd love to do this to the outside of the next house I own.
posted by shoesietart at 9:29 AM on September 7, 2009
I'd love to do this to the outside of the next house I own.
posted by shoesietart at 9:29 AM on September 7, 2009
Brilliant! Absolutely lovely!
I wonder how some of those plants cope with pollution though...
posted by jonesor at 9:29 AM on September 7, 2009
I wonder how some of those plants cope with pollution though...
posted by jonesor at 9:29 AM on September 7, 2009
WANT. WANT SO BAD.
posted by Asparagirl at 2:17 PM on September 7, 2009
posted by Asparagirl at 2:17 PM on September 7, 2009
Anyone know what the oldest example of his creations is?
posted by SixteenTons at 7:25 PM on September 7, 2009
posted by SixteenTons at 7:25 PM on September 7, 2009
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