Sustainability and eco-friendly living are buzzwords of the modern day world. While people are looking to implement more and more choices which are environmentally beneficial, an eclectic and aesthetic way of incorporating nature in households is by having green walls by way of vertical gardens as a part of your home.
Riddhis Aesthetics, started by Sonali Srikanth in 1996 in her garage at home dealing in flowers and plants, is now giving fillip to the vertical garden movement with handy designs. The entrepreneur and husband Srikanth CJ have installed vertical gardens at many places including the Hyderabad International airport, offices of Mahindra Satyam, AP CM camp office in Vijayawada, Westin Hotel and Vijayawada International airport amongst others.
Go green Green wall is now a popular way to incorporate green into your living, Sonali and Srikant
Srikanth explains the concept of vertical gardening, “Green walls are systems which will allow you to grow plants vertically without taking away floor space. You can have a large number of live plants without encroaching on the built up area while beautifying homes, offices and commercial spaces. Not only does it look exceptionally good but also, it will leave you with ample space for other uses. Having plants at every home is the need of the day.”
Logistics involved
The ideal locations for vertical gardens are balcony walls for flats and compound walls for independent houses. They can also be done in elevations and indoor areas. One of the biggest concerns in indoor gardening is the maintenance involved. Srikanth explains that since they use aluminum and plastic as part of their fabrication, the wall is protected from seepage issues.
- Reduces urban heat island effect and smog. Cleans outside air of pollutants and dust and offsets the carbon footprint of people and fuel emissions. Acts as a sound-proofing barrier. Creates habitats for birds and beneficial insects, increasing biodiversity
For indoors, commonly cultivated house plants like Syngonium , Phyodandran , Spathipyllum and money plant are used while Scheflera , Durantha gold and Irasin are preferred for outdoor locations. Sonali explains the logistics involved in the process, “We have a specially designed frame work which we fabricate and install, the plants are also inserted in the same frame work. We customise design as per client taste and requirements. The plants are chosen and suggested depending as per the given environment conditions. The watering is done by drip irrigation at the turn of a valve. Any space is good for a balcony wall and the compound wall as long as there is natural light and air available.”
Planning to introduce DIY home kits where owners can install green walls with their choice of plants, the duo plan to spread more awareness about the concept in future. For those looking to quirk up living spaces or introduce green accents, these are sustainable ways to do so. Cost and space effective, they create unlimited elegance in limited pockets within the confines of your home. The prices that start from ₹1200 per sqft include fabrication, installation, plantation and drip irrigation.
