GOING vertical has long been humanity’s solution to the paucity of prime urban real estate — hence skyscrapers, elevated trains and those parking-lot hoists that stack cars atop one another. A result has been cities that feel increasingly claustrophobic, as avenues are transformed into canyons of glass and steel.

But Green Fortune, a design firm in Stockholm, believes that going vertical with foliage can prevent cities from becoming utterly artificial. Its latest product is Plantwall, a made-to-order garden that hangs upright, like a painting. Designed for cramped indoor spaces, Plantwall requires little effort to maintain its lush appearance — a key attribute for urbanites who can’t be bothered to pick up their own dry cleaning, let alone deal with fertilizer.

Plantwall is the second product from Green Fortune, which was founded in 2004 by Hans Andersson and Johan Svensson. The first was Steamgarden, a pot with four chambers that allows novice gardeners to grow basil, chili peppers or strawberries hydroponically — that is, without soil. Geared toward consumers bereft of spare time and outdoor space, the Steamgarden doesn’t need much attention; the water must be refilled once a week, and the nutrient solution replenished quarterly.

But according to Mr. Andersson, some people find even this low level of maintenance onerous. “We call it an active product, because somebody has to be involved,” he said. “We began to see the need for a passive product, something that you can enjoy but you don’t have to take care of yourself.”

Opportunity came 18 months ago, when Filippa K, a Swedish clothing brand, hired Green Fortune to come up with a way to bring foliage into one of its Stockholm stores. Mr. Andersson and Mr. Svensson knew that this meant going vertical: pricey floor space is reserved for a store’s products, not for decorations. The challenge was to keep a hanging garden healthy.

The men toyed with the idea of using a recirculation system, to pump water back to the top of the garden after it had trickled down. But they soon realized that such a design was prone to leaks, which are particularly unwelcome amid delicate blouses.

The pair opted instead for a product that plugs into a public water supply, then sluices the fluid into a drain once it has run its course. This liquid voyage takes a while because of the absorbent quilt at Plantwall’s core. Within this quilt are drip irrigation tubes, of the sort commonly used in large greenhouses. Water seeps through two inner textile layers into these tubes, which in turn nourish the plants’ roots; two outer layers prevent moisture from escaping. An automated system releases a dollop of fertilizer at regular intervals.

For the Filippa K store, Plantwall’s vegetation consists primarily of ivy-like flora needing little sun — a prerequisite in the oft-gloomy Sweden. (Metal halide spotlights provide a modicum of artificial light.) But Mr. Andersson stressed that Plantwall could support a wide array of plants, depending on a client’s preferences and location; a sunny apartment in Kuala Lumpur, for example, would be more hospitable than a ground-level Stockholm store.

The Plantwall for Filippa K was installed 10 months ago, and Green Fortune is installing a second one in Denmark. Mr. Andersson said the company had received several inquiries via its Web site, Greenfortune.com, from businesses and residents in cities like London, Taipei and Tokyo.

These no-fuss vertical gardens don’t come cheap: Mr. Andersson estimated that, depending on factors like total size and the plants used, a Plantwall costs $1,000 to $1,200 a square meter. But he hastened to add that the price includes installation and a one-year guarantee that the Plantwall “will look perfect.” An extended warranty is also available, for those city dwellers who will always associate the word “green” with cash, not ferns.

source : www.nytimes.com