A LIVING WALL INSTALLATION

Program for High School Students Lesson Plan

Title: Living Wall Installation: Collaboration & Community
Duration: 1 month after-school art project
Class 1. Research
Class 2. Order & Delivery of Materials (plants & construction tools)
Class 3. Build Frame
Class 4. Complete Building of Frame
Location: High School art classroom
Required Materials: Construction Items
(Wood Saw, Pine Lumber, Plywood Panel, Hammer, Nails, Chicken Wire,
Steel Wire, Fasteners)
200 Quantity Plant Species
(Succulents 2 - 5, Sheet-moss, Kalanchoe, Cyclamen)
Objectives: 1.Collaborate in teams to research and build a living wall frame.
2. Develop and research a construction plan to build a living wall frame.
3. Analyze and select the best choice of botanical species for the living wall.
4. Identify plant care and communicate by sending plant care information to
adults with Alzheimers disease.
5. Design and build a three dimensional frame to hang.
Class 1: Students are asked if they have used or seen natural medium
(botanical species) to create an artwork or installation. Students are then
asked to brainstorm about how plants are a form of natural medium and
write a short (5-10 minute) description on how they might use botanicals
within an art piece. Share response with their peers.
Elicit

Class 2: Students are asked to review their reflections from last weeks
class to address any concerns they previously had with the group.
Class 3: Students review the construction materials received; quantities
and sizes.

Engage

Class 4: Students review the current state of the living wall frame from
last week and discuss the various steps needed to complete the project.
Class 1: The teacher explains how the students will use plants to create a
tapestry of botanicals within a frame to be hung, this type of art called a
living wall. Students are asked to participate in a discussion to see if they
have seen a living wall before and what space/size/location it was
installed.
Class 2: Teacher explains that in todays class, students will review
where to locate the materials for building and order the plant and
construction materials for pick up or delivery (depending on the
company).
Class 3: Students draw a blueprint/outline of the living wall frame with

A LIVING WALL INSTALLATION

dimensions and sizes.

Class 4: Students break up into teams to finish the various components of
the living wall frame.
Class 1: Students are asked to use the internet to research different types
of living walls. Using these examples found on the internet, students
should collaboratively compare and contrast different designs (plant
species used, size of frame, and structural components).

Explore

Class 2: Students use the internet to investigate plant wholesalers and

construction supply stores to purchase the necessary materials to build
the frame. Students develop a thorough list of the necessary materials
(adding on from the previously developed), including prices and location
of the store.
Class 3: Students begin experimenting with the construction materials
and determining how they will be used.
Class 4: Students compile the various components from the teams to
create the final living wall frame.
Class 1: The teacher will provide the students with the guidelines for the
project; explaining the collaborative efforts with the adults with
Alzheimers disease and the final installation at the selected community
center. More details on the project are given, such as budgeting,
necessary materials list, and possible plant species for the adults with
Alzheimers disease to care for.

Explain

Class 2: Teacher and students work together to collectively determine the

overall cost with the various resources found. Teacher explains the
importance of the budget in the collaborative project, if cost is too high.
Class 3: Teacher and students review the blueprint and materials and
initial construction begins.

Elaborate

Class 4: Teacher and students review the integration of components of

the living wall.
Class 1: Students use the guidelines to further investigate the living wall
design. Then, as a class, vote to select a final type of living wall frame to
build. Students then develop a preliminary detailed list of required
materials for review (botanicals and construction tools).
Class 2: Students then contact the stores to pre-order the required
materials. Based on the store, students either schedule a pick up time or
delivery time by the class date the following week. Students review with
the stores the care requirements for the botanicals and send the care

A LIVING WALL INSTALLATION

information via email to the Alzheimers patient class facilitator.

Class 3: Teacher assists and teaches students how to use any of the power
tools necessary for construction. Then, students begin the construction of
the frame.
Class 4: Students tweak any necessary changes in the living wall
construction.
Class 1: Students and the teacher review the plan together and discuss
the required materials lists, making any necessary adjustments.

Evaluate

Class 2: Students and the teacher discuss if any changes are needed due
to the stores pre-order requirements. Students also determine whom can
pick up the materials from a particular store, if necessary. Lastly, students
discuss the plant delivery to the adults with Alzheimers for them to care
for.
Class 3: Teacher reviews the structure 10 minutes before the class time is
over the review progress with the students providing feedback for next
week.
Class 4: The living wall frame is hung for testing; teacher and students
collaboratively evaluate any necessary changes.
Class 1: Students write a short reflection on the projects current plan,
including their personal concerns and likes.

Extend

Class 2: Students write a short reflection on the hardships and benefits of

coordinating the art project resources and planning requirements.
Class 3: Students write a short reflection on the process of building a
living wall frame and the collaboration efforts with their peers.
Class 4: Students and teacher review the installation requirements..

Program for Adults with Alzheimers Disease Lesson Plan

Title: Living Wall Installation: Art and Horticulture Therapy
Duration:
Class 1: Two one-hour classes per week for three weeks
Class 2: One two-hour class
Location: Adults with Alzheimers Disease
Required Materials (Quantity):
Watering Cans (10),
Spray Bottles (10),

A LIVING WALL INSTALLATION

Plastic Tubs (17) if plants are kept inside,

Wire Racks (17) if plants are kept inside,
Scissors (10),
Set of prints of photographic images of each of the four plants 8x10 (10),
Sheets of Paper 9x12 (10),
Glue sticks (10)
Objectives:
1. Develop motor skills and mental stimulation.
2. Integrate horticulture therapy into daily lives.
3. Design and care for plant materials.
4. Create color and texture map or template for final installation.
5. Engage socially with peers and with high school students.
Class 1:

Explain
Facilitators explain idea of collaborating with high school students to
create living wall and show photos of examples of living walls.
Facilitators demonstrate how to care for plants and write out care
instructions on a sheet of paper posted next to each section of plants,
which will remain in place for the duration of the plant care. See below
for plant care instructions.
Cyclamen.
Place it in a location with good light but not a baking west sun,
and keep it moist but not soggy (Orbaugh, n.d.).
Kalanchoe.
Water thoroughly, being sure that the water penetrates the
medium from top to bottom. Allow the medium to dry somewhat
between watering. Sunny to semi-sunny location is best. Bright
light indoors improves vigor and appearance (Crassulaceae,
n.d.).
Sheet moss.
No care required. Keep in plastic bag within cardboard box.
Succulents.
Succulents require low maintenance. Spray with water once a
week on soil. Soil should not be moist for long periods of time, do
not overwater to prevent root rot. Keep in sunny location, either
next to a window or a higher light area.
Elaborate
Depending on the location, plants are arranged in the community center
on top of tables next to windows that receive light or outside. If inside,
the plants (which are in individual plastic containers with holes in the
bottom) are placed in groups of 12 resting on top of elevated wire racks
that are placed on top of clear plastic tubs. (This set up is to provide a
way for the plants to be watered and then drain excess water into the

A LIVING WALL INSTALLATION

Class 2:

tubs.) For the next three weeks, participants gather bi-weekly to care for
plants (check soil and add water if needed).
Elicit
The facilitators lead the Alzheimers participants in a discussion of the
meaning of balance.
What is balance?
What makes you feel out of balance?
What makes you feel balanced?
How can a two-dimensional artwork be balanced?
Explore
The participants are shown the photographs of each of the different plants
(one at a time) and asked the following questions for each image:
What shapes do you see?
How would you describe the texture that you see?
After looking at all of the images, ask the class to rate the
photos on a scale of largest shapes and most pronounced
texture to smallest and finest texture.
Explain
Facilitators explain the definitions of balance and texture. See below for
definitions:
Balance: General harmony between the parts of anything,
springing from the observance of just proportion and
relation; esp. in the Arts of Design (Balance, n.d.).
Texture: In the fine arts: The representation of the
structure and minute molding of a surface (esp. of the
skin), as distinct from its color (Texture, n.d.).
Facilitators explain that the participants will each be creating
compositions on paper to be used as guides for the final living
wall collaboration. They explain that the participants will be
given sheets of paper with clear, black outlines of the living wall
structure designed by the high school students to be filled in by
the participants with cut shapes from the plant prints.
Elaborate
Each participant is given a sheet of paper with a clear, black outline of
the living wall structure designed by the high school students. The
participants are also each given a pair of scissors, a glue stick, and a print
of each of the different plants, as photographed from above to
demonstrate their shape and texture. The participants then proceed to cut
shapes from the plant prints and glue them onto the paper with the glue
sticks to fill the entire outline of the living wall design with a balanced
design including all of the plant textures.

A LIVING WALL INSTALLATION

Evaluate
The completed designs are hung in the classroom for the participants to
observe how their design is similar or different from the others. Time is
allotted at the end of class for the participants to engage in informal
conversation about their designs. The caregivers are interviewed for their
responses to the following questions:
1. Did the participants benefit emotionally and physically
from the plant care?
2. Were the participants engaged in the artistic process of
mapping the plant materials for final construction?
Extend
Ask participants the following questions:
Did you enjoy taking care of the plants?
Would you like to continue in this activity after the project
is completed?
Would you like to see a living wall placed in your
community center?
Community Center (Museum or Garden) Lesson Plan
Title: Living Wall Installation
Required Materials: 200 Plant Species & Completed Living Wall Project
Standards: National Visual Arts Standards, High School, Grades 9-12, HS Accomplished &
Advanced
-Presenting: VA:Pr5.1.IIa
Evaluate, select, and apply methods or processes appropriate to display artwork in a
specific place.
-Responding: VA:Re.7.1.IIa
"Recognize and describe personal aesthetic and empathetic responses to the natural world
and constructed environments."

Elicit

Engage

Students and adults with Alzheimers disease will meet together at

the community center for the first time. Students will introduce
themselves and engage the adults in conversation so that both
groups may get to know one another. Facilitators give students the
following conversation prompts to guide interactions:
Do you enjoy working with plants?
Which plant texture do you like best?
Do you think the weather today is good for the plants?
Which succulent is your favorite?
What is your favorite aspect of the Wildflower Center?
Facilitators pass two hats filled with paired color chips, one to the

A LIVING WALL INSTALLATION

Explain

Explore
Elaborate

Evaluate

Extend

students and one to the Alzheimers participants. Students have to

find the Alzheimers patient with their matching color chip.
Facilitators explain that the pair will work together to plant and
install the living wall in the next stage.
Facilitators explain the planting process. (See Figure 2.)
1. Add soil to chicken-wired container.
2. As a group, organize plants in desired positioning on
chicken wire outlined by the chosen design (Keep plants in
plastic containers.)
3. Each team is responsible for planting 40 plants. To install
plants, remove the plastic containers and place in position
on the chicken wire grid.
4. Loosen root system of plant with your fingers above
chicken wire. And let soil fall into chicken wire, gently
push root system into the chicken wire. Cover roots with a
a small quantity of excess soil.
5. After all plants are added, pin on sheet moss with greening
pins.
(Facilitators provide any necessary feedback during the process
before the installation is hung.)
Participants collaboratively work together in their paired teams in
planting the botanicals within the frame, as per facilitators
instructions above.
The living wall is hung between the two columns or on a wall by
the facilitators and high school students. Adults with Alzheimers
disease dictate any adjustments on placement and leveling.
Participants review their work in informal conversations over
refreshments.
Facilitators privately survey the high school teachers and
caregivers for the MAP class via paper questionnaires according to
the following prompts:
1. Determine if the students and MAP class believe the final work
is harmonious and aesthetically pleasing.
2. What did the students and MAP participants gain from working
collaboratively?
Students write a short reflection on the experience working with
adults with Alzheimer's disease and their connection to the
community through displaying their collaborative work in a
community setting based on the prompt below. These reflections
will provide feedback for the instructor.
Writing prompt:
Write a short reflection on the experience working with adults with
Alzheimer's disease based on the following questions.

A LIVING WALL INSTALLATION

8
In what ways was the experience similar or different from
what you expected?
What was your favorite part and biggest challenge of the
process of making the living wall?
Share your personal experience of working collaboratively
with the MAP class participants.
How does the setting of the display affect the way that the
final piece of art is experienced?
o Would you have picked this setting, or do you have
another setting that you think would have better
suited the living wall piece?
o How would the artworks meaning change if it was
displayed in a different location? (Pick a specific
location as an example.)
Sample Budget

Need

Resource

Products

Prices

Cost

Construction
Materials

Home Depot

Wood Saw,
Pine Lumber,
Plywood Panel,
Hammer,
Nails,
Chicken Wire

Wood Saw: $49.97

Lumber 8 x 8 (4 pieces @ $6.22/each):
$24.88
Plywood Panel (2 pieces @ $15.63/each):
$31.36
Hammer (3 pieces @ $6.97/each): $20.91
Nails: (2 boxes @ $2.98/box): $5.96
Chicken Wire Roll: $19.77

$152.85

Installation
Materials

Home Depot

Steel Wire,
Fasteners

Steel Wire Roll: $6.29

Fastener Kit: $14.38
2 Greening Pins: (2 boxes @ $2.00/each)
$4.00

$24.67

Botanical
Materials

Vickrey
Greenhouse

Succulents 2 - 5
Sheet-moss
Kalanchoe
Cyclamen

4 bags Succulent potting soil, 1.5 cu. ft.

$12.97/bag
200 plants/botanicals
$2.25 - $3.50/each

$800.00
(max)

Art/Design
Materials

DickBlick.com Paper 9x12

(white)
Glue sticks 1.41
oz
Scissors Easy
Spring for adults

Paper: (50 sheets @ $2.21): $2.21

Glue sticks: (10 sticks @ $2.45): $24.50
Easy Spring Scissors: (10 pairs @ $2.52):
$25.20

$51.91

A LIVING WALL INSTALLATION

with physical
disabilities
(universal design
for both lefthanded and righthanded users)
Photographs of
plants

Precisioncamera.com

Set of prints
Set of prints: (10 sets @ $9.96): $99.60
8x10 of
photographic
images of the four
different plants (4
prints)

$99.60

Maintenance
Materials

Home Depot

Watering Cans
1.5 L.,
Plastic Tubs 12
x 17,
Wire Racks 15 x
24

Watering Cans: (10 cans @ $3.98): $39.80

Plastic Tubs: (17 tubs @ $4.97/each):
$84.49
Wire Racks: (17 racks @ $4.44/each):
$75.48
Spray Bottles: (10 bottles @ $1.38/each):
$13.80

$213.57

Transportation

Van Rental

Community
Center (MAP
class) & School
(high school
students) to the
Lady Bird
Johnson
Wildflower
Center

1 day rental

$155.60/
day

Refreshments

Grocery Store

Drinks
Snacks

Water bottles
Juice bottles
Cookies
Fruit

$200.00

TOTAL

$1,698.20

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10

(Home Depot,n.d.)References
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http://www.oed.com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/view/Entry/14789?rskey=8Kdun0&result=1#
eid
Crassulaceae Stone Crop Family. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2015 from https://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/syllabi/302/new/family/crassulaceae.html
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Retrieved April 19, 2015 from http://easttexasgardening.tamu.edu/2014/07/23/cyclamen/

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Plantscapes. (December 5, 2014). How to create a living wall [Online Images]. Retrieved
January 29, 2016 from http://www.plantscapesofutah.com/blog/
Texture. (n.d.) In Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Online. Retrieved April 21, 2015 from
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