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by Melia
(Chicago, IL)

questions-about-moss-21712265

Hi, so I’m an architecture student working on a design for a green wall for a house in Tokyo, Japan (zone 8b, I believe).

The green wall is going to be roughly three stories tall with one section that is at less than a 90 degree angle from the ground so I was looking for plants that would grow through a mesh layer that will keep the plants from falling out.

I was hoping to use moss because it seems to be pretty hardy but I don’t know if it will be able to grow around/ through the mesh.

I’m also not sure if it would be the best choice for this type of project either, but I’m not sure how much you are willing to explain to someone who is relatively clueless about plants.

The picture I’ve uploaded shows a section cut of the house. The green wall is going against the wall on the left side of the paper and is south-east facing.

Thank you so much for you help!

Hi Melia, what a great project! The use of moss is perfect for a vertical wall in a place where moss is used a lot in courtyard gardens (or used to be). I don’t mind giving you some insight in the least.

For your moss, it won’t mind growing through the mesh. I have places where I laid down old carpet, and within a couple of years, it’s grown through and onto the top, completely hiding the carpet. Of course, this usually works best in full shade, with some moisture through the summer.

Moss doesn’t need much in the way of soil, because it doesn’t have roots like most other plants. If you can get it to attach to a rough surfaced moisture retentive type of material, it will be quite happy.

As your site will be facing south east, you will need to make sure that you choose some moss species that prefer those kinds of conditions, and grow naturally on cliffs in a southern exposure. I am assuming you’ll specify plants that are native to the area, or hardy to the planting zone in Tokyo, which I would have to do more research on.

Please ask if you have more questions, I’m happy to answer them.

Best of luck (pictures if/when it’s completed?)
Jacki