Adelaide Zoo’s new Giant Panda enclosure completed in late 2009 included the installation of an indoor and outdoor green wall by Fytogreen. The zoo is now home to Wang Wang and Funi, two Giant Pandas, recently sent from the People’s Republic of China as part of an exchange program, whereby several zoos around the world have been selected to breed panda pairs.

Adelaide Zoo is home to over 1,800 animals and almost 300 species of exotic and native mammals, birds, reptiles and fish exhibited in 8 hectares of magnificent botanic surroundings.

Mainly native grasses were used in the 97sqm outdoor green wall and include 20-25 different species and over 4,600 plants.

The external green wall plant palette reflects a more dryland plant selection in line with the landscape of the forecourt located adjacent to the wall. Hardy native plants have been used including Enchylaena tomentosa or “Ruby Saltbush” which is native to the Adelaide plains. The patterning of the plants in the wall alludes to the proximity of first creek.

Species chosen for the external wall include:

• Dianella caerulea ‘Little Jess’ (native) “Dianella Little Jess”
• Dianella tasmanica ‘Tas Red’ (native) “Dianella Tas Red”
• Enchylaena tomentosa (endemic) “Ruby Saltbush”
• Lomandra confertifolia ssp. rubiginosa ‘Seascape’ (native) “Lomandra Seascape”

The plants were pre-grown off site for 20 weeks prior to installation. The green wall is automated with sensors that alerts maintenance crew for any system failure.

Spot fertiliser method was used extensively as a nutrient source. Slow release fertiliser is supplied behind the plants as well as fertigating the system through the whole wall.

The planting media is a melamine formaldehyde resin that is blown into a hard biodegradable foam slabs, wrapped and placed in frames for vertical gardens

Here you can see moss growing and also a hole caused by a removed plant. The brown irrigation lines run above each cell.

The vertical garden is irrigated for about 10 minutes per day. As you can see below the water is not recycled as only a small amount is leaked into the garden bed below.

The plant palette for the internal green wall is more lush in comparison to the external green wall. The intent was to use as many native plants as possible but due to availability from the nursery & suitability for the internal location this was not possible for the whole plant palette.

The 110 sqm indoor green wall has the following plant species:

• Adiantum sp. (native) “Spleenwort”
• Asplenium oblongifolium “Shining Spleenwort”
• Blechnum nudum (native) “Fishbone Waterfern”
• Crytomium sp. “Holly Fern”
• Davallia pyxidata (native) “Hare’s?Foot Fern”
• Dichondra repens ‘Emerald Falls’ (native) “Kidney Weed”
• Doodia aspera (native) “Prickly Rasp Fern”
• Liriope ‘Evergreen Giant’ “Lilyturf”
• Peperomia sp. “Ripple Plant”
• Polypodium ‘Blue Star’ “Rock Polypody”
• Pteris albo?liniata “Brake Fern”
• Pteris umbrosa (native) “Jungle Brake”
• Selaginella sp. “Spikemoss”
• Soleirolia soleirolii “Baby Tears”
• Streptocarpus caulescens “Nodding Violet”
• Tradescantia ‘Spiderwort’ “Spiderwort”
• Viola hederacea (native) “Native Violet”

There was a long growing?on time for the plants to create 100% plant coverage at the time of installation. The modules were transported from Victoria and installed on site along with the irrigation system.

References – www.ancr.com.au, www.hydroponics.com.au, www.zoossa.com.au