Plant Care: How to Care for Your Lawn and Garden

Your lawn and garden need your time and attention to help them grow and thrive. Plant care is a skill that takes time to develop. This article is here to get you started.

Looking after your garden will be easy when you equip yourself with the right knowledge. Keep reading to learn our best tips and tricks for cultivating your garden.

What We’ll Cover In This Article:

Update Your Lawn and Garden Care for the Season

When it comes to effective plant watering and plant care, you need to treat your garden differently throughout the year. If you live in an area that experiences cold winter months, you need to be mindful of the impact this can have on your plants.

At the same time, hot and humid summers can wreak havoc on your garden, which is when you’ll need to think about plant watering more regularly. Plan to cut your line once a week in the summer.

For the rest of the year, every two weeks is sufficient. Make sure you are mindful of the climate of your home state.

Spring-Time Gardening Tasks

Spring is the time to tour your garden to see what’s been happening while you were inside all winter.

At this point, you should remove any matted leaves left from last fall. Trim off the brown foliage from your ornamental grass plants and perennial plants. Lastly, remove any fallen branches or other trash that has made its way into your garden during the cold weather.

Build Exterior Garden Structures

A huge part of plant care is offering support and protection for plants to thrive. Start building your structures early spring before the ground has completely thawed out. April and May are good times to inspect, repair, or replace any hardscape items, including:

  • gazebos
  • fountains
  • plant stands
  • privacy screens
  • retaining walls
  • living walls

Fountains are a great way to add a relaxing centerpiece to your garden. They can also help attract more wildlife to your outdoor space.

Take the time in early spring to clean out fountains from leaves and other debris. If you don’t currently have a fountain, consider adding one.

Even if you have limited space to add a water feature, a small fountain can make a tranquil addition. Spring is also a good time to give your birdbaths a thorough scrub.

Types of Structures

Consider an exterior landscape design that includes plant stands to help your plants grow and make plant care easier. This display will bring show plants into focus.

Additionally, retaining walls can protect against wind and erosion. A pergola, or a roof-like lattice, can help cover some of your shade-loving plants while also growing through the design. This structure can make a beautiful addition to any garden. It can quickly become a place to gather with your friends and family.

Retaining walls are a more practical custom exterior landscape addition. These are vertical walls designed to redirect water flow and hold soil back on slopes. You’ll find that they can be both functional and decorative in their own right. Click here to learn more about the types of garden decor you can install.

Identify and Remove Weeds

Weeds are a huge issue in plant care for your garden and lawn. Lawn weeds might either grow as flowers or seed heads.

Generally, you’ll find a huge variety of weeds in lawns today. The best option for your home is to remove the whole weed, ensuring you get the roots out simultaneously. You can do this by hand but using a weed removing tool.

When carrying out regular plant watering, we suggest pet-safe herbicide. Always look for a product that has a low toxicity level. That way, you won’t cause any harm to nearby creatures.

Spring Pruning

Spring is the time of year when many plants will benefit from pruning. Do you have woody plants that flower in the fall? Our rule of thumb is to prune them in the spring. Examples include hydrangeas and roses.

However, don’t prune forsythias, azaleas, or lilacs in the spring. Spring is also the time to shape any evergreen trees that you want to control growth or spread.

Do you need help revitalizing your outdoor garden?

Browse Our Gallery

Improve Drainage for Your Lawn

Drainage is a major issue within the exterior landscape design. If your lawn has poor drainage, you may find it becomes soaked for days. In the long run, this can cause issues for your lawn health if you don’t work to improve the drainage.

Common reasons for drainage issues include inferior custom exterior landscape design and the lack of absorption from the soil. Are you seeing standing water in your garden outside of your water features? Take steps to avoid a buildup of water in the future to prevent further damage to your lawn.

Design With Your Garden Shape in Mind

The shape of your garden will play a big part in preventing waterlogging. Drive water away from your home to prevent damage to the property. Dips in the ground need to be avoided at all costs, as these can cause water to pool.

We sometimes find that homeowners need to install additional gutters and drains. These additions can direct excess water away from the lawn.

Another strategy, instead of working to remove standing water, is to add water-loving plants. Some species thrive in boggy ground, including:

  • astilbe
  • cardinal flower
  • sedge
  • rose mallow
  • summersweet
  • hibiscus
  • European cranberry bush viburnum
  • leucothoe
  • fothergilla
  • Pinkberry
  • sweetspire
  • sweet and swamp azaleas
  • white spruce
  • black gum

These varieties will absorb some of the extra water. You’ll be able to protect your plants that might otherwise become water-logged.

Mowing and Edging Your Lawn

Mowing your lawn is an important part of plant care. However, it’s best to only remove about one-third of the grass length during each session in the spring.

More often, mowing matters in the summer when you can cut about half the grass length. In the winter, the grass will grow much slower, if at all. Try to avoid mowing your lawn when your soil or grass is wet. This mistake can damage your lawn and stop it from growing at its borders and edges.

Invest in a half-moon edging tool or use edging shears or even a battery-powered edger to complete this work. You should do this after mowing, offering a finishing touch to the plant care process for your lawn.

Key Takeaways

Plant care and watering often seem like a huge task, but little and often is the best way to go.

Your garden should work in the right manner for your property’s design and unique custom exterior landscape. You’ll reduce the number of issues you face in the future.

Ready to unlock your garden’s full potential?

Contact Us

Boston Exterior Design & Plantscaping Specialists

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For the last 40 years, we’ve provided the highest quality office plantscaping services for clients across the Boston Metro area.

We customize and plan our living walls and interior planting designs to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for both corporate plantscaping and residential community projects.

In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications. You can find us in Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.

Follow us on social media for more Boston exterior design and plant care tips:

What’s the Difference Between Plantscaping and Landscaping?

When discussing adding more plants to your office or improving your outdoor landscape, you might wonder what distinguishes plantscaping from landscaping – and the difference between landscaping and landscape maintenance.

The terms often have interchangeable uses, but they have different interior and exterior landscape design meanings.

Today we’re going to discover what indoor plantscaping means. You’ll learn why it’s very different from what people traditionally think of landscaping and landscape maintenance.

What You’ll Learn in This Article:

What Is Plantscaping?

When we use the term plantscaping, we refer to creating and designing interior spaces – commercial or residential – with live plants. For instance, corporate plantscaping projects involve planning which kinds of plants you will use, where the plants will live, and what pots, planters, or containers they will use.

Plantscaping can also include an architectural element. There’s a conference room at the office with only a glass wall separating it from the reception area. You could design a “screen” of plants to separate the two visually for office plantscaping.

In addition to the natural attractiveness of live plants, they can add visual focus to an area – a splash of color can highlight a space, such as a hallway or tabletop, or a structural feature, such as a corner or archway.

Plantscaping can add interest to small and large spaces – from a desktop to an office entryway. For example, small and large living walls can accent a surface or redefine a space. You can use interior plantscaping for any room to fit any shape or size.

How Does Plantscaping Work?

Interior plantscaping offers many benefits to workplaces and office settings. Well-known effects of living walls include improved air quality, better air circulation, and the removal of toxins. Plantscaping provides a welcoming environment for either working or relaxing, whereas landscaping is usually outdoors.

Although you can certainly take on office plantscaping yourself, it’s probably best to work with the aid of professionals to enhance the design of your space. The practice of hiring professionals to help design and install interior plantscaping came of age in the 1960s and 70s and has become ever more popular since.

From many plant variety options, corporate plantscaping professionals can assist in selecting the right specimens to reinvigorate your unique space.

What Is Landscaping?

Landscaping refers to the design and installation of live plants and accessories in exterior spaces – typically involving trees, shrubs, flowers, walkways, hardscapes, and garden features. It is the process of making changes to a piece of land to improve its value and appearance.

Landscape design will consider what plants should go where and what features you should add. Your options might include a stone path, statue, or water fountain.

It’s common to include an irrigation system in landscape design. That way, watering the plants will be as easy as possible.

How Does Landscaping Work?

Homeowners and landlords may look to invest in landscaping when trying to sell a property, improving its “curb appeal.”

We all know how critical the first impression is when approaching a building, and landscaping is instrumental in promoting what someone thinks about your property.

It’s one of the key features that help a home sell more quickly. A well-groomed exterior makes it worth the investment.

Do you need help revitalizing your outdoor garden?

Browse Our Gallery

What Is Landscape Maintenance?

Compared to outdoor landscaping, landscape maintenance is what we would more traditionally refer to as gardening. It relates to the upkeep of your home or office garden, or lawn.

Above all, it’s the actual fertilizing, watering, and maintenance of the area, as opposed to the strategic positioning of plants in an outdoor space – as you would find with landscaping.

Landscape maintenance works to keep your grass or plants in top condition to flourish in all weather conditions. It also includes mowing lawns, pruning trees, and trimming hedges.

How Does Landscape Maintenance Work?

Landscaping may involve changing your garden’s architecture and overall design, but it should never be confused with landscape maintenance. Landscape maintenance primarily focuses on preserving your garden or lawn.

In contrast, landscaping is the initial activity that involves planting flowers or trees. The goal is to design the area to look more attractive.

While landscape maintenance keeps your lawn or garden in good order, it can also boost your mood and improve the outside of your home or office. It also helps to reduce environmental impact or increase the property’s value.

Key Takeaways

Landscaping, landscape maintenance, and indoor plantscaping have many similarities, but they focus on different areas in the office or around a building. All of them are concerned with live plants and improving the appeal of our spaces.

Meanwhile, plantscaping deals with designing indoor spaces and interiors – landscaping deals with designing outdoor spaces. Landscape maintenance is necessary to keep a landscape design in peak condition. Hopefully, these three terms are clearer now.

Ready to unlock your garden’s full potential?

Contact Us

Boston’s Top Indoor Plantscaping Specialists

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For the last 40 years, we’ve provided the highest quality office plantscaping services for clients across the Boston Metro area.

We customize and plan our living walls and interior planting designs to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for both corporate plantscaping and residential community projects. In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications. You can find us in Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.

Follow us on social media for more plant care tips:

Plant Care Tips: How to Take Care of Ferns

Do you need help with how to take care of your ferns? If you’ve recently upgraded your indoor planting designs to add more greenery into your home, you’ll want to make sure you know the top plant care tips to take care of them.

Today we’re going to discover some of the best indoor plant care solutions for your home or office. You can also read our guide on how to prevent your house plants from dying for more.

Plant Care Tips You’ll Learn in This Article:

The Different Types of Ferns You Can Select for Your Home

Before we discover the top indoor plant watering methods for your plants, let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of ferns you could add to your space. One of the most common ferns that people choose is the Boston fern. They require minimal indoor plant care but must be kept in warm temperatures and indirect light.

For something a little more unique, consider a maidenhair fern. One of the biggest challenges with indoor plant care for this type of fern is finding a consistently humid area.

The bear paw fern is another of our favorite ferns to add to any space, which has the advantage that it can easily divide to make multiple plants. You’ll need to offer this fern a good amount of warmth and bright indirect light.

This tricolor fern makes an elegant addition to any home, with a wide range of shades of green within each plant – from pale green to deep forest green. They require similar conditions to the Boston fern, so it would be another great option for anyone with this type of interior planting design already in place.

Use Drained Soil

Drained soil can greatly improve your interior planting design. In general, you’ll find that ferns can be fussy about the type of soil they use. They prefer light, fluffy, well-drained soil. Moreover, their roots don’t like to be wet all the time, as this might suffocate the plant.

For indoor plant care success, try to find a light, drained potting mix in which you can place any of the ferns listed above. Check the soil before watering – the soil should not be completely dry but just about to be dry.

Then, it’s best to completely soak the fern – either under a sink faucet or even in the shower. Of course, you’ll still need to avoid overwatering your ferns.

This mistake can result in fungal infections, where it would be prudent to dispose of the whole plant.

Mist Your Ferns

To add moisture to the environment of your ferns, you should occasionally mist your plants. Ferns need to live in rooms with high humidity to thrive and grow, which is why they often exist in terrariums. They love soaking in the moisture from the air, which is why we recommend misting your plants regularly if you find they aren’t growing well.

If you notice brown tips on your ferns, this is a good indication that they need misting.

Alternatively, you could set your humidifier close to your plants. This placement will help add water to the air, which can otherwise be hard to achieve in some rooms in your home.

The kitchen is a great location to add ferns, and you’ll find they thrive in this type of atmosphere.

Aim for Medium Light

When ferns are out in the wild, you’ll find they enjoy indirect light thanks to their position under the trees. For that reason, you need to try and recreate this atmosphere at home.

Place them by either a south-facing or a north-facing window that won’t provide too much light.

When ferns exist in an area that receives extremely strong direct light, you’ll find their leaves get burnt.

Focus on offering them a medium-light placement in your home and you’ll find your new interior planting design thrives throughout the year. Our best plant care tip is to pay attention to your space’s lighting.

Do you need help revitalizing your outdoor garden?

Browse Our Gallery

Use Double Containers – “Slip Potting”

To help you out with your indoor plant care, we recommend adding ferns to double containers, also known as “slip potting.” If you’d like to know how to take care of ferns, slip potting is a great first step.

Plant the fern directly into a terracotta pot, which you can then place in a pretty container to add to your home. Between the containers, you may add moistened sheet moss, which will help with indoor plant watering and keeping your plants moist.

The great thing about ferns is that they make a versatile addition to any home. You can even add some species to wall art, making for a sophisticated addition to your space.

An attractive terrarium can help you take care of ferns in smaller apartments. This layout allows you to keep your plants in optimal conditions without taking up too much space in your home.

Best Practices for Hanging Plants

If you’ve recently added hanging plants to your home, they can be more of a challenge to maintain. Indoor plant watering is the biggest issue with hanging plants.

Consider moving your plants outdoors during the warmer months of the year. This transition makes indoor plant care much easier while potentially protecting your home and furniture.

However, ferns won’t thrive in strong, full sun, so ensure they have some protection: tree shade, a tarp, sheet, or umbrella to protect them from too much sun.

Generally, hanging plants need more water than other potted ferns. The rising hot air surrounding the pot tends to dry out faster than plants on the floor.

Key Takeaways

Any homeowner can follow our plant care tips to ensure your ferns remain healthy and happy. When it comes to indoor plant watering, you need to stay on top of this to maintain your plants properly. Ideally, indoor plant care shouldn’t take up too much of your time or energy.

If you’re instead looking to add new indoor plants to your office or rooftop garden this year, our team will be here to support you in upgrading your interior plant designs. We can also recommend the best outdoor garden decor for your home or office.

Ready to unlock your garden’s full potential?

Contact Us

Boston’s Top Indoor Plantscaping Specialists

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For the last 40 years, we’ve provided the highest quality plantscaping services for clients across the Boston Metro area.

We customize and plan all of our interior planting designs to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for both corporate and residential community projects. In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications. You can find us in Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.

Follow us on social media for more plant care tips:

Why Are My House Plants Dying?

Are your house plants dying? Indoor plants have become increasingly popular over the past few years. One of the most important parts of indoor plantscaping is learning how to take care of your plants.

In this guide, we’ll cover some of the most common reasons why your house plants may be suffering. Keep reading to learn more.

Common Reasons Behind House Plants Dying

Overwatering

Too much water is the most common cause of house plants dying. If the soil in the plant’s pot is constantly wet, the water surrounds the roots and prevents them from getting oxygen. Without air, the roots of even the best indoor plants will decay.

In essence, overwatering suffocates the plant. Before watering your indoor plant, feel the top of the soil to make it dry to the touch. If it is still moist, then you can water it later.

Lack of Water

A lack of water is another common cause of house plants dying. While we all lead busy lives, you need to ensure you put time aside to care for your indoor plants.

Consider if you are out-of-town for a week or don’t use enough water. You’ll find that your best indoor plants’ appearance will suffer.

Using the Wrong Water

Always use tepid water to water your house plants. It’s best to fill your watering can with cold water. Before using it, let it sit for a time in the room where your plants are. If you use freezing water, it can shock the roots and distress your plants.

Water all around the pot – not just where the plant stem is. Water the pot in an even and uniform manner to avoid any issues. Plant watering all over the pot’s surface will also protect one part of your hanging plants.

Lack of Sunlight

While some house plants thrive in low light, most need direct or bright indirect sunlight. When you first add indoor plants to your home, take the time to research the plant care instructions for this type of plant. If you place plants in a dark room when they require bright light, they will never grow to their full potential.

Although it’s tempting to place your plants in your home based on where they look most attractive, try to focus on their light requirements instead. Put them in a spot where they receive adequate light to avoid house plants dying.

If you find that your house plants are not receiving enough sunlight, you may need to consider a rooftop garden or urban plantscaping.

Do you need help revitalizing your outdoor garden?

Browse Our Gallery

Temperature Fluctuations

Depending on where you are in the country, temperature fluctuations are more of an issue than in other locations. In areas where it becomes particularly cold in the winter months, you may find your house plants dying.

The same goes for plants when placed in higher temperatures than usual. For example, don’t leave your plant next to a heating vent or radiator. Heat stress can cause house plants to wilt and die.

Monitor the temperature of your plant’s room to offer the right conditions throughout the year. Many house plant varieties are from tropical zones and don’t thrive if the temperature is too hot or cold.

Harmful Insect Infestations

Plants naturally attract a wide range of bugs, and many of these use your house plants as their home. You’ll find that you need to inspect your plants regularly to ensure you aren’t attracting harmful insects which might kill off your favorite house plants.

The good news is that you can treat many of the most common insects to avoid your house plants dying. Some common bugs, such as aphids, can slow the growth of your plants, but they are generally only visible on the underside of the leaves.

They are the same color as your plant, so you’ll need to make sure you inspect the leaves closely when you are carrying out your plant watering to spot these little bugs.

Some insects, for example, spider mites, need a magnifying glass for you to spot them. They are so tiny that many house plant owners don’t notice them until they have seriously compromised their plants.

When the infestation becomes more severe, you may notice webbing underneath the leaves. At this point, the best action is to dispose of the plant entirely. The sooner you take action, the less likely you will lose any more plants.

Mold and Mildew Infections

Mold and mildew infections are key issues to consider when discussing house plants dying. Your plants will soon tell you when they have a mold or mildew infection. Their growth will slow down, and grey spots will soon appear over the plant’s leaves.

Eventually, the infected leaves will drop, and the stems will likely become mushy. With insect infestations, you’ll want to isolate your diseased plants to prevent the fungal infection from spreading further.

Remember the watering tips we shared earlier, as overwatering your plants can cause mold and mildew infections. For example, begonias are more susceptible to mildew if they are overwatered.

Offer your plants the light and air they need to grow and thrive, and you’ll find that your indoor plantscaping remains in top condition for years to come.

Key Takeaways

As you can see, there are many different reasons that your indoor plants might start to suffer at any time of the year. We recommend keeping these top plant care and plant watering tips in mind at all times.

No matter what type of house plants or hanging plants you have in your home or office, you’ll find that with good care, they can remain in excellent condition for many years. Plants require time and attention to thrive, which you’ll need to put aside to avoid damaging these beautiful additions to your home décor.

Contact our team today for more information about garden décor or adding indoor plants to your home or office.

Ready to unlock your garden’s full potential?

Contact Us

Boston’s Top Indoor Plantscaping Specialists

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For the last 40 years, we’ve provided the highest quality plant maintenance services for clients across the Boston Metro area.

We customize and plan all of our installations to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for both corporate and residential community projects. In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications, including Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.

Follow us on social media for more tips about interior plantscaping:

How to Find the Best Garden Decor

As a homeowner, finding the best garden decor to match your home’s unique style can be a challenge. With so many great exterior landscape design options available, you’ll want to find premium offerings to elevate your garden before the arrival of spring.

Let us help you discover how you can transform your urban garden or outdoor space with a few simple steps.

Choose Beautiful Outdoor Plants

Before considering the best garden decor you desire to add to your garden space, you’ll need to select some stunning outdoor plants to brighten up your garden. This step will help set the tone for the rest of the garden. You can easily do by adding a few colorful or striking potted plants. Our team would be more than happy to help with this task.

For example, we could create a rose garden or herb garden for a unique addition to your outdoor space. If you are short of space, add a few succulents in pots to your garden for a modern look. Make sure you choose vibrant plants and flowers that add color and texture to your exterior landscape design.

Work With the Space You Have

In crowded cities, we know space can be limited in urban gardens. However, that doesn’t mean you should neglect this space. You can transform almost any patch of land. That way, you’ll enjoy more time reconnecting with nature and being visually appealing.

When it comes to finding the best garden decor for your home, we highly recommend looking at ideas from gardens that are the same shape and size that you have. There’s no point trying to take inspiration from a large countryside house with a swimming pool if you are only working with a garden that’s a fraction of the size. There are some incredibly innovative garden designs available today. Our team will be happy to work with you to make the most of the space you have.

Add a Water Feature

No garden is too small to benefit from the addition of a small fountain or water feature. With so many innovative products on the market, you’ll find that solar water fountains could be a good option for your best garden decor. They function without needing a source of electricity and still offer all of the benefits of water in your garden.

Cherub water fountains offer a more classical look. If you have the space and resources, you could even add a huge fountain or small pond. Water is extremely calming. It will help make your garden feel like an oasis, even in a busy city.

Consider Lighting to Showcase Your Garden Display

You might not often have the time to sit outdoors in our gardens during the daytime. We encourage anyone who works with us on a custom exterior landscape design to ensure they can enjoy their new garden space at any time of the day or night. While you won’t be able to admire all of the smaller details during the night, you can still enjoy getting some fresh air after a busy day of working.

Lighting your garden also allows you to view it from the inside. That way, you can create a nice extension of your indoor space for your enjoyment. A very popular option right now is solar lighting. These lights gather the energy they need during the day and then bring your best garden decor to life at night. You’ll find that garden lighting can be added almost anywhere in your garden, including hanging from trees or illuminating paths.

Do you need help revitalizing your outdoor garden?

Browse Our Gallery

Bigger Isn’t Always Better

When working with an urban garden, we encourage you to think about the finer details. Typical gardens can afford to have large furniture and garden decor. Think about the smaller details that will enhance any space.

You can add a little flair and color by adding wind chimes, statues, and birdhouses. All of these will help create interest and to bring your garden to life at any time of the year. Just a few subtle pieces within your custom garden design can add a lot of character and style to any exterior landscape design.

Look for Outdoor Furniture

Although it’s tempting to heave a few spare chairs from your home outside, it’s best to find dedicated outdoor furniture for your garden display. There’s no point in investing all this time and money if you don’t sit back and admire your beautiful new garden.

The good news for apartment dwellers and homeowners is that many outdoor furniture options are chic, comfortable, and affordable. We recommend adding a couple of chairs and a small table in a smaller space. You’ll love enjoying your morning coffee outside or a cocktail as the sun sets on another day. Whatever furniture you go for, ensure it will withstand a wide range of weather conditions.

Shop for Vintage Garden Accessories

Depending on your style and your home decor, you might want to opt to use a mixture of old and new items in your garden. Handcrafted pieces and vintage garden accessories add more character and style to your outdoor space.

Many homeowners neglect to think of their garden the same way they do their home. However, you can enjoy decorating and styling this space just as much. A few of the top ways to add a touch of vintage decor include:

  • vintage lanterns;
  • cast iron or wrought iron pieces;
  • or a vintage fountain in your best garden decor.

Key Takeaways

By following these steps listed above, you can elevate your garden display and create an urban garden or outdoor space where you enjoy spending time after a busy day at work. No matter the size of your urban garden, our team can create a custom exterior landscape. We can tailor the design to your personal preferences. We’ll be excited to bring your garden to life in a way that you never imagined, thanks to our creative exterior landscape designs.

Contact us today to discuss the best garden decor options for your home!

Ready to unlock your garden’s full potential?

Contact Us

Boston’s Best Garden Decor Specialists

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For the last 40 years, we’ve provided the highest quality plant maintenance services for clients across the Boston Metro area.

We customize and plan all of our installations to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for both corporate and residential community projects. In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications, including Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.

Follow us on social media for more tips about interior plantscaping:

What Are Living Screens?

When considering ways to create more privacy in an office or home, there are a few different options available. Living screens allow you to avoid putting up a standard plexiglass barrier. Instead, you can create an attractive and moveable screen. Here we’re going to share everything you need to know about these beautiful features and how you can incorporate them into your office. 

What you will learn in this article:

Living Walls – How Do These Privacy Screens Work?

Living screens are widely used within office spaces today. If you have an open-plan office space, there’s often a desire to separate individual office areas. Many want to create more privacy for employees and managers. Instead of using a plexiglass barrier or a fabric-covered sectional, living screens provide privacy using indoor plants or live moss. They can be created from artificial or live plants, offering you a low-maintenance solution and adding more indoor plantscaping to your space.

Where Can Living Screens Be Used?

We place living screens where you would otherwise add other types of privacy solutions. As we mentioned above, you see them in office spaces. Designers often find these to be an excellent solution for their reception or waiting area, offering visitors more privacy or shielding them from seeing confidential material about the business they’re visiting.

Living screens are part of an interior plantscape design, and, as such, they create a more attractive working environment than you would otherwise have with other privacy options.  Indoor plantscaping offers so many benefits to everyone working within the space, which is why we highly encourage offices to consider this more appealing option. The plants used for living screens are carefully selected to thrive in an indoor environment.

To learn more about adding living accents to your space explore our Interior Services.

Explore Our Services

The Benefits of Living Screens

There are so many reasons why companies today opt to use living screens instead of standard privacy dividers. When you add living walls to your space, you’ll notice all of these benefits immediately, creating a more inviting and relaxing working environment for your employees.

Instant Privacy

Living screens use indoor plants to create privacy and improve discretion and security for your employees. They are an instant solution that doesn’t require you to build permanent walls for your employees but will still protect them from prying eyes and those working nearby. Especially in spaces that see a lot of activity, they can offer your staff members the privacy they need to focus on the task at hand, instead of being distracted every few minutes. We also appreciate that they can be easy to move around as either a temporary or permanent solution.

Improved Air Quality

Living screens that contain real indoor plants also contribute to improving the air quality within your office. Especially for people who are sensitive to pollution, improved air quality is something we are all looking to increase today. Live plants literally cleanse the air around you, making them ideal for use to create an overall healthy environment.

Maintenance

When installing these screens into your office, you may be concerned about them outgrowing your space. When it comes to these privacy screens, you have two options; artificial or live indoor plants. Of course, if you opt for artificial plants, you won’t have to worry about them growing beyond the wall. Even with real indoor plants, you will find that the types of moss and plants used are very easy to maintain and don’t need more than weekly attention or care.

Safety and Security

Safety is always been one of the top priorities today within offices and buildings. To keep people separated from hazards or unsightly areas, you may want to incorporate living screens into space. They can also keep unwanted visitors out of a space ideal for when a meeting is in progress or confidential matters are underway.

Planning Before You Install Living Screens

While living screens are quick and easy to install – usually completed in one day, we always encourage you to do some prior planning before purchasing this type of interior plantscape design for your office. The great news is that living privacy screens come in all shapes and sizes and can be fully customized to fit your requirements. You’ll want to start by meeting with the experts, and together planning out your space and deciding where exactly you want to place them.

As well as planning out the interior spaces you are trying to create within your office; you may want to think about your current indoor plantscaping. How will living privacy screens enhance your office’s overall aesthetic? When adding this new structure, we recommend that you use a living wall as an accent feature. Too many plants within a small space can reduce the impact of the element. 

Do you want to add a living screen to your space?

Contact Us

About Foliaire

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For the last 40 years, we’ve provided the highest quality plantscaping service for clients all across the Boston Metro area. We customize and plan all of our installations to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for both corporate and residential community projects. In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications, including Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape. Follow us on social media to learn more: 

What is a Living Wall?

We’re all looking for ways to bring more nature into our homes or offices. A living wall is an excellent way to elevate your current space. Sometimes known as green walls, this concept has been around for many years now but has become increasingly popular in the last few years. Living walls are no longer just reserved for huge architectural projects and are instead becoming staples of spaces of any size and shape. Today we’re going to share everything you need to know about adding a living wall to your property this year and the top considerations for adding this feature to a home or building.

What You’ll Learn In This Article:

What are Living Walls?

Living walls are panels of indoor plants which are grown vertically using hydroponics. They can either be attached to a wall or free-standing, depending on the space you are using. You may sometimes hear these structures referred to as green walls or vertical gardens. However, they generally refer to the same type of indoor plantscaping.

How Do Living Walls Work?

One reason why so many property owners today are considering indoor plantscaping with a living wall is a lack of space in modern residential spaces. Living walls are built in the same manner as regular walls. The fabrication team will start with a structure installed in individual sections to create your ideal living wall. You’ll find there are many high-tech options available on the market today, including self-watering systems with hidden pipes. While you can water your living wall by hand, self-watering is a great option for a low-maintenance solution for your home. Living walls work to add a large number of plants to even the smallest of spaces, thanks to the ability to extend all the way up your wall. So instead of taking over your floor as traditional indoor plants would do, you can make the most of unused space in your home and transform it into an indoor garden.

What are the Best Indoor Plants for Living Walls?

When selecting the best indoor plants for your living wall, it’s important to consider the space. Where you will be adding this feature to your property is the first decision you should consider. The type of plants you choose will be dependent on the size of the wall you are creating and the amount of light you can offer the plants.

Philodendrons are a popular option for living walls, as they are vining plants known for their fast growth. They need very little attention, which makes them a superb choice for this type of interior landscaping. Ferns are another good option for living walls, and they also grow reasonably quickly. However, they will need more moisture than other options and both should be placed in indirect but bright light where possible. Of course, the options are unlimited when adding plants to a living wall, so you can mix and match plants to create your desired look.

The Benefits of Adding a Living Wall to Your Home

Living walls offer an aesthetically pleasing addition to your already stylish home. You’ll find that living walls also offer a wide variety of benefits. Plants help absorb any carbon dioxide or other pollutants and then release clean oxygen instead to maintain a clean environment for your home. On top of that, they’ll minimize the noise in your home or from the apartment next door. Based on research, people’s mood and productivity are improved when surrounded by nature. Which is why living walls are so popular within offices today.

Within cities today, we are often running out of outdoor space to build new parks and outdoor green spaces. So individuals are looking for interior landscaping ideas to incorporate into apartments and office blocks. Yet, even during the winter months, you’ll still receive your daily dose of nature from the comfort of your home. When it’s more challenging to spend time outdoors, you can still enjoy nature indoors.

Where Can Living Walls be Installed?

Living walls are used by individuals and businesses today in a wide variety of buildings. They add a unique decorative element that will elevate any building and add a central focus point to the room. In addition, you’ll find that a living wall adds more texture and color to uninspiring spaces. They are the ideal solution for any property that has minimal floor space. Quaint apartment or an office filled with many desks and furniture? You can still add a beautiful living wall to your space. You can add living walls to hallways, reception areas, living rooms, meeting rooms, and any other space you fancy. It could be as small or as big as you like and designed to fit around even the most awkward wall spaces.

Custom Living Wall Designs

No two living walls will look the same, thanks to the variation in real plants used within their design. However, to create a really unique addition to your property, you can create a custom-made living wall. Green walls are customized to your specifications. This allows you to incorporate lighting, shelving, or a television screen into any space. Today, many companies use a living wall within their reception area and will incorporate their company’s logo or a welcome screen into the design. As with any interior landscaping, the sky’s the limit when it comes to creating a living wall. You can customize it to blend in with your current home décor and styling.

Next Steps…

Living walls offer many benefits to homeowners today and have become a frequent addition to homes of all shapes and sizes. If you are looking to bring an element of nature into your home but have already run out of space for indoor plants, you’ll find this to be an excellent solution. Living walls can brighten up any home, and they offer many environmental and health benefits to property owners. By choosing the best indoor plants for your home environment, you can enjoy a daily dose of nature without having to spend too much time on the upkeep of your new wall feature.

Ready for your own custom living wall? Foliaire can help!

Learn more about our expert indoor plantscaping services today!

Explore Our Interior Services

About Foliaire

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For the last 40 years, we’ve provided the highest quality plantscaping service for clients all across the Boston Metro area. We customize and plan all of our installations to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for both corporate and residential community projects. In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications, including Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape. Follow us on social media to learn more: 

What is Urban Landscaping?

Cities today are becoming more populated than ever before, forcing exterior landscape designers to find new and creative ways to work with the city environment. Urban landscaping works to add residential and commercial gardens to areas with a small footprint. Residents in cities today are still looking to enjoy spending time outdoors. City landscaping helps to offer an improved quality of life for individuals worldwide.

What you’ll learn in this article:

Features of Urban Landscaping

Designers and landscapers today are incredibly creative when making the most of the limited space in city environments. Urban landscaping can transform any plot or rooftop into a beautiful space in which homeowners and residents will enjoy spending time outdoors. With the ever-increasing population in cities, these outdoor spaces help offer residents much-needed additional living space.

Urban landscaping commonly includes: 

  • Adding rooftop gardens to buildings
  • Terrace landscaping
  • Transforming courtyards or public areas within apartment complexes

In addition to private properties, large corporations use urban landscaping to offer their employees an outdoor space to visit on their lunch break. Individuals today are beginning to understand the benefits that spending time in nature can provide to everyone. Even in cities, creating beautiful outdoor spaces can be crafted with the proper design.

Urban landscaping usually combines various elements and techniques to create outdoor spaces that are functional yet aesthetically pleasing. Recreational areas and parks often feature modern art installations, playgrounds, and facilities for pets. They take older spaces and make them usable and accessible to an increased population. For instance, water management and horticulture best practices are the first steps. Then, buildings and outdoor spaces can offer residents the chance to spend more time in nature. These environmentally conscious spaces decrease stress and promote a more balanced lifestyle. These spaces last for very many years and serve to attract more residents in the future.

Urban landscaping on a rooftop area with beautiful foliage by Foliaire Inc. in Boston, MA

How Does Urban Landscaping Work?

Urban landscaping starts with a piece of land of any shape or size. Then, you improve its aesthetic and usability for the neighboring area or building. However beautiful your space is now, urban landscaping can completely transform it. The goal is to offer a beautiful and relaxing place of nature within the city. Of course, this can sometimes be an incredibly challenging undertaking, especially with more quaint and compact spaces. Urban landscaping involves architects, surveyors, horticulturists, and landscape designers. However, these experts work together to enhance the building while ensuring the garden is safe for humans and animals.

Planning is a crucial consideration when opting to add rooftop gardens or terrace landscaping to a property. Concept plans will help visualize whether the idea is realistic with the space you are working with and will help to strategically place plants, grass, and trees in the garden. Suppose fencing and decking are also part of the plan. In that case, you’ll also map out the plans for these additions. You can split urban landscape design into a few steps. This way, landscapers and designers work within city environments and make the most of their limited space.

Educational and Recreational Spaces

Urban landscaping also offers an excellent tool to educate the population on farming and wildlife. Moreover, community gardens often help schools or nonprofits. Many of these organizations welcome the public to visit to learn more about gardening with limited space. Today, many apartment blocks have a communal garden space. Most importantly, these spaces allow residents to meet and work together to maintain their surroundings. Furthermore, city farms can help children learn more about farm animals and gardens.

Explore some of Foliaire’s work in urban landscaping spaces!

Featured Projects

Working With Restrictions

One of the biggest concerns when undertaking an urban landscaping project is the state and local government restrictions. These restrictions will dictate what you can add to a building’s rooftop or courtyard area and the extent to which you can change the area’s overall appearance. When adding plants or water features, it’s critical to consider both water restrictions and weight limitations, which may impact the water usage in an area. Natural bodies of water often can’t be touched within cities, which may reduce the space available to you when considering a city landscaping project.

Element restrictions can also dictate the type of plants and grass you can add to rooftop gardens. Some cities will only allow you to use low-water plants or native species. From there, you can review the zoning laws, which will regulate fence placement and height, and the structures, fencing, and decking you can add to a project. Restrictions may seem like quite an inconvenience for urban landscapers, but you must take the time to review these first for anyone undertaking a new project.

Planning for Urban Landscaping

Design mockup for urban landscaping rooftop project

After assessing all panning considerations, time must be allotted for the planning process. After that, you’ll be ready to begin constructing rooftop gardens or commercial gardens. The site will need to be fully surveyed and assessed to identify how you can transform it for another use. A plot plan or site plan will allow designers to find locations for drainage. For permanent structures, blueprints are submitted to ensure that the project is allowed to go ahead and will follow all of the restrictions in place in the city.

Key Takeaways

The number of people living within cities is only continuing to increase. With the limited number of private gardens attached to homes, urban landscaping helps to offer residents a way to spend time outdoors and connect with nature. The work that landscapers and designers complete today in cities are incredible. They can take an old and unused space and repurpose it for specific communities. If you’re thinking about urban landscaping, you should always follow the regulations for your local area. Create thorough plans before starting work. With the right guidance, you can make the most of any outdoor space and create a beautiful roof garden or terrace to make your evirons enjoyable.

If you’re looking to take advantage of your urban environment, Foliaire can help!

Learn more about our expert city landscape design services today

Exterior Services

About Foliaire

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For the last 40 years, we’ve provided the highest quality plantscaping service for clients all across the Boston Metro area. We customize and plan all of our installations to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for both corporate and residential community projects. In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications, including Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape. Follow us on social media to learn more:

Foliaire Logo
Call Us @ (617) 357-5255
Email Us @ sales@foliaire.com
535 Albany Street, 5th floor
Boston, MA 02118
©Foliaire, Inc. 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Website designed by Worcester Interactive.