Living Walls vs. Preserved Moss Walls

What are the Benefits of Preserved Moss Walls?

Most of us could benefit from more access to nature. However, when living and working in the modern world, access to nature can also be difficult to come by. Those who spend most of their time in urban areas can find that they go days at a time without coming into contact with nature. This is a shame as it denies us access to one of the planet's most potent mood boosters as well as a means of aiding concentration and boosting productivity.

Moss art is a unique modern art that brings the benefits of nature to any living or working environment. Its unassuming brand of beauty is at home on virtually any wall. Moss art works well on workplace walls or adding a unique style to your home.

There are few reasons to argue againstinvesting in moss wall art. However, among green art aficionados, there is debate between the benefits of living moss and preserved moss.

Here, we'll take a look at living moss, preserved and even artificial moss.

Living Walls

First of all, it's important to differentiate living moss walls from living walls and vertical gardens. Moss is an incredibly hardy plant and can thrive in environments where living walls would not. It can be used to create a wide range of shapes and sculpted in a variety of sizes. What's more, living plants breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen, thereby improving the air quality in your home or workplace.

However, while living moss may be a robust plant, this is not to say that it is maintenance free. Moreover, many moss walls and moss art will also contain other plants which are less well predisposed to display indoors.

While living moss walls can, in theory, live for around 25 years, they require a large degree of maintenance to keep alive for that long. They require regular water and fertilization as well as access to natural light (or at the very least artificial grow lights).

This can make for a pretty substantial investment of both time and expense. It's for this reason that many small businesses and homeowners avoid living walls in their space. While many living moss walls come with their own irrigation systems to make them easier to maintain, but this inevitably adds to their overhead cost.

Artificial Moss

Those that don't have the time or money to invest in costlier and higher maintenance moss wall art may be tempted to opt instead for artificial moss. However, this is the very definition of false economy. While at first glance it may seem like an affordable and zero maintenance alternative, artificial moss offers none of the cognitive and mental health benefits of natural moss. Plus, artificial moss just looks and feels...artificial! Would you opt for artificial turf in your yard instead of a lawn? Would you choose a plastic houseplant to give as a housewarming gift? Artificial plants create an experience that falls far short of the real thing. While you may enjoy marginally lower overhead costs and zero maintenance costs, you will deprive yourself of the inherent benefits.

Preserved Moss Walls

Unlike artificial moss, preserved moss looks and feelsexactly like living moss because in all the ways that matters -- it is! Moss that has been preserved can last a lifetime without any maintenance whatsoever, save for an occasional dusting!

 

While Preserved moss does not breathe like living moss, its look and feel are completely natural and provides all of the mood boosting and cognitive benefits of a living wall. Additionally, moss that has been preserved retains its distinctive beauty for decades.

View this post on Instagram

There's a fun feature on @marthastewart 's website with us! "With Plant Paintings you're able to hang greenery on your wall as artwork without the effort of running plumbing and special lighting...And if you have a location with insufficient light or are prone to traveling frequently, you can hang and return home to lush greenery.” #marthastewart #mosswall #plantwall #greenwall #plantart #mossart #livingwall #lowmaintenance #customdesign #handmade #artisanmoss

A post shared by Artisan Moss (@artisanmoss) on May 10, 2018 at 6:56am PDT

So while a living wall may last a couple of decades with rigorous maintenance, preserved moss, can last a lifetime without any maintenance.

Preserved Moss Walls are Less Expensive to Maintain

Moss walls made with preserved moss require no irrigation infrastructure, so you can save considerably on installation and watering costs.

If you are looking to make a unique statement with your wall art, almost everyone can benefit from moss wall art. By comparison, living walls are more expensive, and harder to maintain... and artificial moss is, well, kind of pointless (sorry!).

Preserved moss walls offer the best of both worlds, offering nearly all of the natural gains of living walls with just a fraction of the obligation.

Artisan Moss designs unique, botanical creations from preserved moss. contact us for custom moss wall art or shop framed moss art in our online shop!