Chelsea Living Wall

In summer 2021, Meristem were invited to revamp the garden of an impressive house in Chelsea.

The brief: to transform two garden areas into beautifully designed outdoor spaces. The client asked for the gardens to be a visual surprise from each storey of the house; the lower garden featuring a lush living wall and the upper enhancing a stunning historic backdrop.

Beginning with the lower of the two gardens, we created two living walls (20 sqm and 16.3 sqm) at right angles to each other, stuffed with green foliage and dotted with flowers and flowing grasses. The plants included Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae, Polystichum polyblepharum, Carex oshimensis ‘Everest’, and Geranium endressii with blue-purple flowers. To increase fluidity and texture, soft clumps of Soleirolia soleirolii were added.

The design and the plant pallets for these partially shaded walls played an important role in the project. Furthermore, several plants were chosen from the upper reaches of the living wall to match those of the sunnier upper garden, thus creating a connection between the two. The plants were also chosen to enhance some of the Mediterranean species that thrive in the top garden.

To maximise privacy, much of the fencing in the upper garden is smothered in greenery. The flourishing Trachelospermum jasminoides will be carefully maintained, while Lonicera nitida will provide dense hedging. These evergreen plants are also attractive to pollinators.

Custom-made open-step treads connect the ground floor of the house to the garden above, while pretty clumps of Soleirolia soleirolii add to the greenery below.

In the upper garden, the eye is immediately drawn to an exotic Cordyline australis, a Trachycarpus wagnerianus, a Pinus mugo, and olive trees. All contrast beautifully with the backdrop of the old domed church. Purple perennials such as Salvia nemorosa ‘Ostfriesland’ and Lavandula ‘Munstead’ add drama to the space, in striking contrast to Achillea ‘Inca Gold’ and Santonilla chamaecyparissus.

To further connect the gardens, the final touch was to introduce low-lying clumps of Stachys byzantine, Rosmarinus vulgaris and Erigeron karvinskianus to both.

Atmospheric lighting was installed throughout, and spike lights tucked into the living walls. Alongside the porch and the entrance area we have introduced powder-coated steel planters set with small flowering shrubs, while house plants beautify the interiors.

We are now happily maintaining the project on a monthly basis, to ensure it looks stunning all year round.