WEST VILLAGE
Originally designed and installed by Future Green Studio and Marpillero Pollak Architects in Manhattan’s West Village, this living wall has been under Blue Dahlia’s care for the last decade. Its 576 individual cells make up an austere but pleasing palette of sedges, grasses, and perennials. Sitting eighteen stories up and constantly buffeted by the dry, westerly wind blowing in from the Hudson, finding the right combination of hardy plants for such a harsh environment proved to be a challenge. We needed plants that were not only aesthetically pleasing, but had the sturdy, fibrous root structure to grow in a vertical position and hold the soil in place. After a few seasons, we settled on a selection of Geraniums, Japanese Forest Grass, Artemisia, Catmint and Campanulas that thrive in the warm months and provide texture and interest when the rest of the garden has gone to sleep for winter.