ambitious goal, partial success

The Boy and I got in just a couple of hours of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass this past weekend - the crowds and the bitterly chilling evening gusts were a bit much for us this year. Even Steve Earle made some "d*mn wind!" comments while on stage, and as I couldn't feel my fingers at that point, I'm betting they were having a rough time, too. When we trekked out of the park, my scarf wasn't enough to keep me warm, and I was dreaming of something hot to consume, tout suite!

To my delight, The Boy had made us dinner reservations just down the path, at the new California Academy of Natural Sciences' swank downstairs restaurant, The Moss Room. I'd heard about the space (interiors done by an arch/fabrication firm I've done some consulting with in the past) and had seen gorgeous images of their ambitious full height Living Wall at the restaurant's entry stair. The promo shots showed a fully populated wall of ferns and moss, dripping with lushness.

Not quite what remains, after about 7 months of operation, but still pretty none the less:




The structure appears to be on a series of horizontal steel members, with tall vertical slabs of slate anchored with wide washers held by nuts between the slabs (layered like fish scales, you can't see the anchors except at the bottom row). Behind the slate are wedges of growing medium - looks like coir or other fiberous matting, allowing the plants to take root within their gaps.



Credit that most of the plants strive to be natives, including maidenhair ferns. Up above the wall, sloped along with the angled ceiling, are a track of growlights and a well concealed landscape mister system which activated twice during our visit.

While most of the plants appeared healthy, their spotty placement (and in the easiest to maintain locations) make me think that they're replacements to what were the original plantings.

Nice effect, but only time will tell if the maintenance on this Living Wall will be ongoing with the tenant.

:::