Moss walls are the latest in-thing when it comes to green styling and yet moss walls are not a new trend. Over a thousand years ago, Zen Buddhists used to grow moss on their interior walls to create a sensation of tranquillity and expansiveness. For most of the monks, it signified communion with nature, a break from reality and a meditation facilitator.

Advantages of Moss Walls

There are many reasons why moss walls are catching on in today’s living and working space. Moss walls are preserved yet provide similar benefits to traditional walls and they can be installed in any indoor setting. The preserved moss is cool to touch and has been kept soft which allows for many different shapes. In addition to this with the cost of real estate rising, meaning less and less space, it is obvious that urban planners and designers will look for alternatives with planting and decorating the interior vertically as the most convenient alternative.

As a vertical garden requires ongoing maintenance and waterproofing, a practical option to consider is a moss wall. This is usually made up of moss panels so that the surface of the wall is least affected and although the initial cost of installing the wall can be high, maintaining it is virtually cost free.

What are Moss Walls?

Having talked about the advantages of having a moss wall, we can now try to understand what mosses actually are? They are typically soft and grow in dark, damp places like on a rock in an intermittent stream or on the floor of a damp wooden forest. Even though mosses make their own food through photosynthesis like other plants, they do not have flowers and seeds. They propagate through spores. At times moss can be replaced with low maintenance lichens which are a crusty form of life, consisting of a symbiotic (mutually advantageous) relationship between fungus and algae.

For indoor use, Moss undergoes a stabilization process and is then installed on panels, using non-toxic water-based resin. There are strict criteria for importing moss which is sourced mainly from European countries. The moss does not need daylight or water to survive and can be installed directly onto most surfaces, though there are certain conditions required for the moss which needs to be installed by a professional. Loose moss allows the designer to create myriad designs and can also be custom made to suit a particular site or design. Your office plant design has never been more bespoke. Adding a few plants nearby in pots will double the biophilic affect.

Moss Walls as Art Installations

The latest trends that are governing the moss walls, and are dominating the European and American markets, are Moss Artworks. Real moss, ferns and lichens which are sustainably harvested from farms and ranches are preserved using non-toxic food grade ingredients and are arranged onto frames. Since they are preserved, the plants do not wilt, do not require water, nor do they put out pollens or spores. The result is an evergreen artwork – a “plant painting” – that looks stunning and requires no maintenance whatsoever. Moss Art can be an affordable option which allows smaller offices to have that dynamic first impression!

Moss walls lend themselves to tremendous levels of creativity and represent the next wave of change of easily sustainable vertical greenery that can be adapted into intricate art forms.

Contact our team to find out more about moss walls and our latest designs: sales@greendesign.com.au

Editor Note: This post was originally published in July 2017 and has been rewritten and updated for accuracy and relevance.