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FEATURE

The design style of Lexi’s uses plants in various forms. This wall contains 250 plants
which create swathes of texture that follow organic lines.
into the collection tanks. This is called
a closed loop, water-saving reticulation
system. Although there are other ways
to irrigate the plants, this was the most
effective and reliable option at the time of
construction.

Maintenance
Maintenance plays an essential role at
Lexi’s, aiming to keep the plants healthy
and growing in the wall to their full
potential. Not all the plants are indigenous
and since they are positioned vertically,
skill, experience and care are required
to manage them effectively. The team is
trained to do this.

The wall system is maintained as a whole
to ensure that its hardware is functioning,
that the pump is reticulating water to all
the plants and that the grow lights (for
low-light applications) are providing
sufficient light to the plants that need
it most. With regard to plant care, water
levels are checked, as are light and nutrient
levels in order to gauge that each plant is
receiving what it needs to thrive. Plant
to be created. With plants in each wall, they Irrigation shaping and deadheading in a vertical
can be moved and changed according to garden is an essential part of maintenance
the client’s desired look. At Lexi’s in Rosebank, a submersible pump as it encourages growth and gives living
connected to a power source was fitted walls a lush, full appearance. Lastly, pest
The plant design at Lexi’s is appealing into the modular collection tanks at the control is critical and is checked at each
for its eye-catching swathes of textured base of the living wall. When switched on maintenance visit to ensure that plants are
plants that follow organic lines. When using a remotely monitored automated healthy and disease-free. LSA
full, the restaurant is a busy place and it timer, this system pushes water through
was deemed that ‘less is more’; the design the reticulation pipes, connectors and Information supplied by Sean O’Connor,
therefore embraced larger groupings of drippers to the top of the wall and Living Green Walls.
plants. Living walls do not need to be over- reticulates down through each pot, back Photos by Karyn Richards
designed, according to O’Connor, because
“the plants do most of the work for us”.
Plants used include the following:
• Philodendron scandense, a dark green
plant with heart shaped leaves;
• Calathea burle marx, which brought the
red, purple and white colours into the
design;
• Pilea mirophylla, a detailed, busy plant
with light green leaves;
• Phlebodium blue fern, which gives depth
and an unusual blue-green colour;
• Schefflera arboricola Kalahari, the
dominant plant on the wall that gives
height and adds interest from its five-
finger leaf shape; it provides good
contrast to the other plant types used.

O’Connor says the Vicinity system is easy
to manage and service and has very good
root depth for larger plants. This ensured
that full coverage of the system could be
achieved with the plants used when the
restaurant first opened for business.
In addition to the plants in the vertical wall, greenery is suspended from the ceiling
of the restaurant

Landscape SA • Issue 95 2020 5