Artificial green walls come in so many shapes, sizes, colours and uses that it can be hard to find the right option for your space. Whether you are looking for a decorative product for your apartment, an eye-catching display for your office reception, or a high-impact vertical garden for a commercial project, it is important to do your research to find an attractive, low-maintenance and affordable product you'll love for years to come.
In this Ultimate Guide to Artificial Green Walls, we answer all of your questions about plant walls and offer advice on choosing the perfect option for you. We run through the differences between using artificial plants and real ones, look at the different types of wall panels available, and offer tips on cost, appearance, installation and maintenance.
What is an Artificial Green Wall?
An artificial green wall is a vertical garden system made up of interlocking panels of fake plants. High-quality artificial green walls are lifelike, low-maintenance and long-lasting, whereas lower quality options can appear overly glossy and synthetic.
They are usually put together in sections, by fixing the back of each panel to your wall surface with either screws, nail plugs or cable ties (depending on your surface).
Artificial green walls have several advantages over using real plants
They can be used for residential and commercial projects, and are popular fixtures in apartments, backyards, balconies, retail store fit-outs, offices and reception areas.
At the end of the day, if you have an empty wall that could use some visual interest, artificial green walls are a low-cost, low-maintenance and attractive option.
What are they made from?
The material of your green wall will depend on the type and quality of product you buy. Cheap fake plants can be made using a combination of plastic, silk and paper. Some cheaper options can even be made using heavy metals.
On the better end of the spectrum, our artificial green walls are made of high-quality and UV-tested synthetic materials, so they stay beautiful for years to come.
Our Evergreen Premium Panel is even officially fire certified, making it a safe and beautiful addition to your space.
The frames on the back of the green wall panels can either be coated steel or plastic, depending on the quality of the product. Our entry-level best selling green walls have a simple and flexible plastic frame that can be easily snapped together, whereas our higher-end items have sturdy metal frames that are fastened together with an easy and secure clip system.
Artificial or Living Plants, What's the Difference?
If you're trying to decide whether to buy real or fake plants for your vertical garden, it's a good idea to consider these pros and cons:
Benefits of Artificial Plants vs Real Plants:
- Lower maintenance and ongoing costs
- Easier and less expensive to install than real plants
- Never have to be watered
- Don’t require pesticides or fertilisers
- Never die
- Don’t cause allergies
- Don’t need sunlight to survive
Are There Different Types of Green Walls?
Artificial vertical gardens come in all shapes, colours and sizes. Because they’re sold in individual panels, you can mix and match to create your own design, or get an artificial green wall company like us to complete a custom project for you.
Our green wall panels come in a wide range of styles. We have basic entry-level products like the Classic Boxwood then our more intricate panels like the Evergreen Coastal Autumn and then our designer products like our signature Evergreen Panel and Evergreen Disc.
How Much Do Artificial Green Walls Cost?
Artificial green walls can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, depending on the quality of the panels, where you buy them, and the size of the wall.Our panels range from $95 for our entry-level products, to $430 for our top-of-the-line items. Each panel is approximately 100cm x 100cm, so if you're doing a small feature wall for a balcony for example, 4 panels are often enough.
There are cheaper artificial plant options sold at popular chain stores like Bunnings Warehouse, which can cost as low as $15. If you're looking for a temporary feature, or don't mind if your green wall looks noticeably fake, these can be the right choice for you.
Make sure you double check the size of the individual panels when buying your green wall. For example, our wall panels are 100cm x 100cm, and the above example from Bunnings Warehouse is just 50cm x 50cm, so you would need almost double the number of panels to cover the same area.
How to Install an Artificial Green Wall
Most artificial garden walls are easy to install by screwing or tying the frame of the plant panels to the wall surface. However, it's important that you use the correct screws so you don't damage the wall surface. For our wall panels, we recommend using these screws:
Gyprock/Plasterboard - Fix directly to the wall with 20mm metal screws with a good thread.
Timber - Use simple timber screws with a large head for more coverage.
Stone wall - Use nylon nail plugs and hammer the panels in place.
Concrete - Use nylon nail plugs. If you can’t drill the wall, consider fixing a plywood cladding and using timber screws to install your panels.
Wire fence - Use cable ties to hold in place.
Colorbond fence - Fix the panels directly using metal screws. If you don’t want exposed screws on the other side of the fence, try pre-drilling a few holes and using black cable ties to hold the panels in place. Alternatively, consider making a timber frame and mounting the panels to this.
For more information on how simple it is to install our panels, you can read our artificial green wall installation guide.
Can You Move a Fake Plant Wall?
Moving real plants can be a delicate procedure. If you install a vertical garden made of living plants, you might find that it's getting too much sun, not enough sun, or that its plants need to be repotted.
Artificial plant walls obviously don't run into these issues and can be easily unscrewed and moved to a new location. It's also straightforward to swap out panels to create a new look.
How to Maintain an Artificial Green Wall
If you buy a good quality product, your artificial green wall should be easy to maintain. Our green wall panels are UV-tested, meaning they won’t fade in the sun, and all they require for maintenance is the occasional dusting and a wipe with a damp cloth to remove any dirt.
Indoor Green Walls for Homes and Apartments
Whether it's an attractive feature for your apartment living room, a safe addition to your children's bedroom, or a way to bring some nature into your home office, artificial green walls can be the perfect indoor feature. Some of our happy customers have used their indoor green walls creatively, like this attractive balcony feature:
Or this eye-catching kitchen splash back design:
Outdoor Green Walls for Homes and Apartments
Whether it's a way to jazz up your backyard fence, a bright feature on your apartment balcony or a stunning entranceway to your house, artificial green walls can also bring outdoor spaces to life. Check out how more of our happy customers have used their outdoor green walls, like this stunning addition to a suburban balcony:
Or this unique pool area:
Garden Walls for Offices, Fitouts, Universities and commercial spaces
Artificial green walls aren't only great for residential use; they can really bring commercial buildings to life. We've completed projects for all kinds of commercial spaces, including offices, retail stores, cafes, reception and foyer areas, and even a large-scale feature wall for a mechanics garage!
View our Evergreen Collection of lifelike green walls and plants to view our range.
Conclusion
As you can see, artificial green walls are a low-cost, low-maintenance and high-impact feature with many uses. They're easy to install and maintain, easy to customise with your own personal flavour, and don't need an expert gardener to keep them looking great, all year long.
If you have any other questions about vertical gardens, need any help with buying your artificial plants, or would just like to get in touch to talk about your next project, contact us today. We're here to help.
