Fabric planting system helps create living walls
posted: 10/04/2010 by Connie ThompsonDetroit News Homestyle Section September 30, 2010
Living walls stuffed with plants are all the rage with interior designers from Dubai to New York. Houseplants not only look good and may improve our mental state, they are a great way to clean toxins from the air in both the home and office.
In a two-year study at NASA, these plants were very effective at removing key pollutants from the air: corn plant Dracaenamassangeana, peace lily Spathiphyllum, Golden Pathos, mother-in-law's tongue Sansevieria laurentiiand English ivy Hedra helix.
But lack of space and kids and/or animals often make growing houseplants difficult or impossible. And planting a living wall used to be limited to those who could afford high-end custom setups.
But the invention of the Woolly Pockets planter changed all that. Woolly Pockets are soft-sided modular containers that allow gardeners to create living walls stuffed with gorgeous greens and flowers both indoors and out. And the revolutionary planting system is perfect for folks who lack table space and want to garden outside the pot.
The unique fabric planters, made of recycled plastic bottles felted and dyed to look like wool, are available in black, chocolate, camel and peacock blue. The single indoor Wally Woolly Pockets, 15 inches high by 24 inches long, and large enough to hold full sized plants are $49. Wallys can be stacked and/or placed side by side to create a garden that will fit almost any space. Three- or five-unit Wallys are available for large installations.
Hanging a Wally is no more difficult then hanging a picture and the Woolly Pocket website provides handy instructions and a how-to video.
Unlike plastic and ceramic containers, the sides of Woolly Pockets are breathable allowing plants to thrive. The bottoms and backs of the indoor models have water proof linings to protect surfaces that might be damaged by moisture.
The Woolly Pockets designed to hang vertically can be hung on doors, walls and fences -- anywhere you can add a hook or screw in a screw. For inspiration check out the gallery of photos on the Woolly Pocket website www.woollypocket.com.
In the Metro Detroit area, they're available at Leon and Lulu at 96 W. 14 Mile Rd. in Clawson. From 5-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Leon and Lulu's Women's Night Out Garden Party will feature George Papadelis from Telly's Nursery in Troy demonstrating how to plant Woolly Pockets. The program is free and adult refreshments will be served. For more information call (248) 288-3600 or check their website at www.leonandlulu.com.
Nancy Szerlag is a master gardener and Metro Detroit freelance writer. E-mail her at szerlag@earthlink.net. You can also read her previous columns on Detroit News Online at http://detnews.com/ homestyle/.
From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20101001/OPINION03/10010311/1038/LIFESTYLE01/Fabric-planting-system-helps-create-living-walls#ixzz11O6kngSn