Changing with the seasons

In every change, in every falling leaf there is some pain, some beauty. And that’s the way new leaves grow.

Amit Ray

In our urban environments, made up largely of asphalt, concrete, glass and metal, we’ve become accustomed to a certain sterility, and this can apply to pockets of urban nature too – we expect grass to be cut, planters to be manicured, and flowers to be in bloom. The same goes for living walls that are cropping up in our cities: plants species are often chosen for their aesthetic properties over their biodiversity value, and as soon as a plant begins to droop or brown, it’s pulled out of the wall and replaced with another that has been grown in a greenhouse off-site.

It’s not uncommon for us to be asked the question: “Will your living walls stay green all year round?”

But should they? Looking at our gardens, parks and meadows, we know that nature isn’t static. The lush green of spring and summer fades into the golds and browns of autumn and winter, and back again. And this cyclical change is very necessary – it provides the conditions for all manner of bird, bee and bug to eat, reproduce and hibernate. Nature is ever-changing and regenerative.

We’re on a mission to bring biodiversity into our cities, and to work with nature rather than against it. We think there’s a beauty in seeing our living walls grow from seed – from a blank wall to a verdant ecosystem – and then change with the seasons. But we know some education is required. We love seeing the public interact with our walls, and talking to them about the species that visit them and make a home under the surface. We hope that this infographic, which we’re starting to display next to each of our walls, helps tell that story.