At 8 stories tall, rising from the street of Piccadilly to the top of the penthouse, the new green wall designed by Patrick Blanc for The Athenaeum Hotel is London’s tallest living wall. In addition to 12,000 plants making up the vertical artistic greenery, the wall hosts the world’s biggest collection of Urticaccae chosen from countries in Asia which will thrive within the shade of the ground level.

From hotels website: “Using his pioneering planting techniques, Patrick Blanc has created another spectacular Living Wall at The Athenaeum. It uses more species of plants than any other Vertical Garden in the UK – including the world’s biggest single collection of Urticaceae. Patrick carefully collected the different species from dripping warm locations all over East Asia. Next, he propogated the plants in a nursery in the South of France then inserted the roots into the specially constructed, irrigated felt at The Athenaeum.”

Patrick Blanc’s latest work of art in the heart of London near Hyde Park features both native species as well as tropical ones that have been chosen for their ability to thrive in a climate that is similar to that of the microclimate on the hotel wall. Noteworthy plants include Begonias, Fuchsias, Impatiens, Iris, Ficus, many species of nettles and one of my personal favorites, the maidenhair fern.

images via atheneumhotel.com