Outdoor Living Walls: What Really Survives a British Winter?
Embracing plant life is a great way to enhance an urban environment. There’s plenty of potential for integrations in both indoor and outdoor settings. Setting up living walls outdoors can be a stunning aesthetic choice, but they do come with some specific maintenance requirements, especially in the UK climate.
Plants rooted in the ground tend to be a little bit hardier against British winters, but once part of a living planter and on an outdoor living wall, the specimens are exposed to cold air from every angle. This makes these plants more susceptible to frost heave, freeze-thaw cycles and waterlogging during damp winters. This article will explore how to shop for and maintain living wall systems that will thrive November through March.
Picking the right plants
One of the most important parts of establishing a green wall is picking the right plants for the job. Your installer or living wall provider should offer you a range of suitable options to meet your needs and preferences. Winter-hardy evergreens should be the focus.
Rich evergreen foliage
Plants like Heuchera, Euonymus fortunei and Bergenia are all resilient plants with strong foliage, offering plenty of colour throughout sub-zero frosts and cold winds.
Native & hardy ferns
Soft shield ferns and Hart’s tongue ferns are both highly tolerant of wet and cold winter weather, even with fairly elegant and delicate fronds.
Structural grasses & groundcover trailers
Lilyturf and ‘Evergold’ are good, grass-like evergreens that can add body to a living wall setup while providing necessary visual interest.
Picking the right practical set-up
Living walls can differ between indoor and outdoor setups, so choose a product and provider that can tailor installations to your needs. You need to invest in a system that protects your plants from wind chill and freezing temperatures.
Make sure all plant troughs have built-in thermal protection and integrated water reservoirs. These features ensure even the hardiest plants have an extra layer of protection against the elements.
If you’re unsure whether a system is suitable for your roof garden or balcony, communicate clearly with the seller and installer and share plenty of details about your requirements.
Managing your living wall
Even the best living walls will require some maintenance. Most systems won’t simply sit there as “set-and-forget” walls. Most will need some attention in the winter.
- Troughs need to be packed closely in sets, such as of 3, 5 or 10 stacks, to maximise soil mass thermal retention, preventing roots from freezing.
- Keep drainage holes free of debris and fallen leaves so water can drain freely, preventing waterlogging and root rot.
- Irrigation lines can freeze if you don’t disconnect hose connections or automated timers before the first hard frost.
- Clean up any summer annuals and dead foliage throughout October and November before the wet sets in to prevent leaf rot.
- Keep hand watering brief during prolonged dry and freezing spells, as natural rainfall will generally do the job throughout winter.
Make sure you put some effort into maintaining your living wall by checking the fixings and restraints and clearing away fallen leaves. A little maintenance will save you expensive repairs and replacements down the line. Choosing the right living wall should be your top priority, but you should also ensure it gets the care it needs to thrive long term.