BEFORE

Greg Lee and Terri Lee, of Landscapes by Tropical Images, transformed a dull, unattractive concrete wall into an eye-catching “living wall” rich in texture and color.

Subtle touches, such as the cascading baby tears at the top of the wall, add texture to the overall design.

When the homeowners purchased their Windward Oahu property a little more than a year ago, they loved what they were getting. The home is nestled comfortably in a serene, picturesque neighborhood, and the frequent, gentle rains provide nourishment for the valley’s surrounding greenery. The backyard, however, posed an unseemly problem: “There was this big, white, ugly, concrete wall,” explains the homeowner. “We weren’t sure what to do with it. We thought about taking it down, or maybe putting up a façade and water feature to hide it.”

Enter Greg Lee and Terri Lee, of Landscapes by Tropical Images. The environmentally conscious duo was looking for a way to introduce a new concept to Hawaii—a “living wall”—and this was the perfect opportunity.

The wall consists of 2-foot-by-2-foot panels, each strategically filled with native or tropical flora.

“In a nutshell, a living wall is a vertical wall filled with living organisms,” says Terri. “It’s like a living sculpture, and you’re using wall space to design vertically.”

Adds Greg, “It’s pretty new to Hawaii, and we’re the first design/build [landscapers] to really understand and build a living wall here. No one else has done anything like this in Hawaii.”
The idea is so new that even the Lees were hesitant to suggest it to the homeowners.

“I said, ‘Are you sure, Greg? This is pretty wild,’” recalls Terri, smiling.

Any anxiety the homeowners may have had was eased by the Lees’ digital imaging capabilities, which allow clients to get a visual preview of the finished product. The pioneering Lees have been including digital imaging as part of their services for the past nine years.
Given the green light, the Lees and their staff went to work, with the 1-foot-thick cement wall serving as a wide-open canvas. An attractive mix of native and tropical plants–7,000 plants in all–was carefully selected. Among the species used were kupukupu, lawai, naiopapa, pohinahina, palapalai and lauwe.

Beyond the living wall are groupings of monstera plants that, when fully grown, will provide more green to the area.

“The key is plant knowledge,” says Terri. “You have to have a strong knowledge of plants because now they’re going to react differently. With a living wall, they will be on a vertical surface instead of being on the ground. It’s not a matter of just sticking plants into the grids. You have to be able to envision how everything’s going to turn out.”

The original wall was layered with “living” panels, each 2-feet-by-2-feet and 3 inches deep. The entire system hangs on brackets and is maintained by an individual drip-line system that automatically feeds each panel. What’s more, the planters at the bottom of the wall don’t require any manual feeding because they’re fed from the residual water that flows downward.
The final result is a low-maintenance, functional living wall that is equal parts innovative and artistic.

“It’s not too loud or busy,” says Greg. “When you create a design like this, you don’t want to do something that is overly complicated. This wall has a nice diversity of plants, with different shades of green, different textures and height variations. There’s just a natural movement that flows nicely. Because the wall is linear, we wanted to highlight some of the linear lines, and then have other parts of the wall bush out or crop back. We wanted to do this play on height and color.”

Coral creeper flowers are among the plants that dress up the base of the wall.

A tall utility pole peeking out from behind the property used to be a constant eyesore. “I don’t even notice it now,” says the homeowner. “When we come out [to the yard], the focal point is now the wall.”

The Lees explain that living walls can be done indoors or outdoors, and no two are the same. A living wall is not only a green alternative that can reduce the temperature of a home’s interior, it also provides a sound buffer. Living walls are a natural extension of the “green roof” concept, and their popularity is growing. The Lees say they have a friend who recently returned from Paris, where she saw massive living walls—and even entire buildings—that embraced the “living wall” model.

Since this project, the Lees have completed several other living walls in Hawaii. All of their projects scheduled for 2009, they say, include living walls. “People are coming to us now, because they know we’re experts,” says Terri.

The Lees aren’t done with this Maunawili landscape. The steep hillside behind the wall has been reshaped and planted with monstera that, when fully grown, will provide a beautiful green background. What’s more, the homeowners are planning to add a patio to create a full-fledged outdoor entertainment area.

Blue plumbago flowers add color to the living wall.

Now, when they hold social gatherings in their backyard, there’s an instant conversation piece right in their midst.

“Oh, no doubt!” says the homeowner. “We thought this living wall would be really different and unique, and it is. I like art, and I like being a little bit different, and so this is perfect. We love it.”