How to price out a vertical garden for a construction project.
The Florafelt system is easy enough that your construction team can install the panels quickly and easily. Irrigation consists of a standard drip line across the top and a gutter at the base that leads to a drain. Plants are pre-wrapped then inserted into the pockets according to a design grid.
The advantage of the Florafelt system is that the plants are easily changeable and it can be maintained by non-specialized gardening teams.
Florafelt Panel System
Pricing: $30/sf
Lightweight rigid panels with recycled PET plastic felt pockets pre-attached. Each panel is 32 in wide by 24 in tall which can be trimmed to custom sizes. The finished result is a fully felted wall with plantable pockets.
Mounting
For the mounting surface use an exterior plywood covered with two layers of building paper. Then use plastic sheeting or pond liner. Then use smooth coated deck screws or a pneumatic nailer to attach the planters.
Smooth coated deck screws is an important distinction to know. There are other types of deck screws that have a rough surface that bind to the felt, which is not recommended.
Plants
Smaller plants to grow in.
4-inch potted materials: $20/sf
Larger plants fully filled in.
6-inch potted materials: $40/sf
Root Wrap
Plants are root wrapped to make installation easier. It makes less mess and the plants are easily changeable. Teams can set up tables and pre-wrap the plants. A lot of people find it fun and say it’s like making a burrito or putting on a diaper. The process goes quickly and provides you with easy to handle plant materials. This can also be done off site with prewrapped plants boxed and delivered. Ready to install following the design grid.
Irrigation
$400-800 per installation
Consists of a single drip line at the top and a gutter at the base. This is standard off-the-shelf irrigation so any landscaper will be instantly familiar with how this works. We offer a Drip Irrigation Kit to make it easy.
You can connect to your existing irrigation configuration. Just make sure there is an independent zone for the plant wall.
Or you can use battery operated hose timers to irrigate from a dedicated hose bib near or within the wall. These simple battery operated hose timers are extremely reliable and are likely to avoid disruption from more complicated systems linked to other parts of the garden. These tiny units can also be zip tied to the panels and hidden within the plants.
Scheduling
It’s best to wait till the end of the project to install the plant wall so that plants are protected from the construction dust. It’s also important to have consistent watering for the plant wall so make sure the water system is fully operational and without interruption prior to planting.
Florafelt Pro System
Pricing: $60/sf
The Pro system that is based on a wire grid made of stainless steel 304. It uses strut clamp connectors that assemble quickly and the grids can be trimmed to custom sizes. The Unistrut attachment details are pre-engineered which satisfies the Building Department. Waterproofing is built into the Pro system units so there is no need for additional waterproofing behind the system.
Mounting
The Pro system is mounted directly to Unistrut mounted horizontally 2 foot on center. This eliminates the need for a plywood mounting surface which could offset the additional costs as compared to the Panel System.
Plants
Smaller plants to grow in.
4-inch potted materials: $40/sf
Larger plants fully filled in.
6-inch potted materials: $80/sf
Plants in the Pro System are at double density with 4 plants per square foot so you get a higher resolution with your planting design grid.
Fully filled in plants are typically used when there’s an event or when you are presenting a project for sale.
Shipping / Freight
Add 15% for freight within the Continental USA. We can provide custom quotes internationally.
We Can Help
Give is a call at (770) 406-6330 or email [email protected]
Our goal is to save you money and help you create an easy plant wall system.