THE CULTIVATION OF MEDITERRANEAN AROMATIC PLANTS ON GREEN WALLS

M. Devecchi, F. Merlo, A. Vigetti, F. Larcher
The aim of this study was to evaluate the adaptability of two particular species of aromatic plants, Cistus × purpurescens and Teuchrium × lucydris, to being cultivated on a wall in a Mediterranean environment on the four exposures (north, south, east and west). The chosen technology was the REVIWALL® (Reviplant, Italy) patent, characterized by panels (50×40 cm) of six plants cultivated in a coconut fibre medium and fertirrigated. The green walls were put up in two different Mediterranean locations: Sanremo in Italy and Antibes in France. On each site and for each exposure, 3 repetition trials of 3 Reviwall panels with 18 plants on a vertical area 50 cm wide and 120 cm high were set. Plants cultivated in 13 cm diameter pots were used. Specific surveys were performed every 3 weeks from June to November 2010 to evaluate the plants’ growth on the four exposures: fresh and dry weight of the plants at the end of the cultivation period; height, width and thickness of the plants; shoots length and number of internodes; covering index of the panel surface (percentage); timing, quality and quantity of the phoenological phases (flowering and fruiting). The trial is still in progress, but from the data so far collected a first important consideration can be drawn, that is the great potential of Cistus × purpurescens and Teuchrium × lucydris, for a vertical cultivation in Mediterranean areas. In particular, on all the exposures, the Teucrium was more efficient in evenly covering the panels.
Devecchi, M., Merlo, F., Vigetti, A. and Larcher, F. (2013). THE CULTIVATION OF MEDITERRANEAN AROMATIC PLANTS ON GREEN WALLS. Acta Hortic. 999, 243-247
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2013.999.34
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2013.999.34
vertical garden, Mediterranean species, landscape architecture, Cistus × purpurescens, Teucrium × lucydris
English

Acta Horticulturae