Since the war, Kyiv has taken up greening in a rather unusual way

Kyiv should soon become a city of “living walls”.

The capital authorities say they have found a way to increase the area of ​​green spaces and improve the ecological situation, and at the same time not to spend too much, when every budget penny is important, TSN reports.

Oleksandr Vozny, head of the ecology management of the KMDA, plants seedlings of “Vichi” grapes near a retaining wall on one of the capital’s streets. And in a few years, this ordinary wall will be covered with a solid green carpet. Together with colleagues, Oleksandr says, they came up with the “City of Living Walls” initiative – increasing the number of green spaces due to vertical landscaping.

“The goal of this initiative is to make our city, not only our city, greener. There is a full-scale war going on now, and we have limited funding. The use of “Vichi” grapes makes it possible to quickly achieve such a cool effect, in addition to the visual effect, we also achieve an ecological effect,” says Oleksandr Vozniy, head of the ecology department of the KMDA.

Vertical gardening is a common practice of increasing the area of ​​green spaces in the world. Green walls can be seen on the streets of London, Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam and many other cities. Fences and facades of buildings woven with “Vichy” grapes hide flaws and beautify the city, absorb dust and reduce the impact of harmful substances by 40%. They produce oxygen, absorb rainwater and noise, have a cooling effect. And most importantly, it grows very quickly. In a year, the plant grows several meters and very quickly entwines the building.

A house in the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv is the star of the Internet because of its lively facade, its residents say. They say that, in addition to recognition, the green carpet on the facade has many advantages. As for conversations about the fact that rodents and insects climb into the apartment through the plant – they say it’s a myth.

“Vichi” grapes and other varieties of creeping plants have been used for landscaping the capital for decades, says landscape architect Tetyana Yakunovska. We should mention the old facade of the “Kyivavtodor” building in the center of the capital, the recently destroyed House of Flowers, the monument to Bohdan Khmelnytskyi and much more. This is a very cheap, fast and simple way to green the city, says the specialist. But he warns, you need to choose plants that do not harm the foundation of the building and its facade. After all, even “Vichy” grapes can leave traces on the plaster.

In addition, the architect advises metropolitan gardeners to combine plants for greater beauty. Climate change makes it possible to use more types of plants, in particular, for vertical gardening, both outdoor and indoor. In addition to “Vichi” grapes, you can plant other vines – wisteria, ivy, pyracantha, campsis, goat’s leaf, morning glory, etc., says Ruslan Malofey, the owner of the ornamental plant nursery. But the undisputed leader is “Vichy”, because it is unpretentious and easy to care for.

“Entangles almost the entire surface except the metal one. It is undesirable to plant it near a metal surface, because the metal heats up and the delicate suckers will simply fall off and it will not hold,” he explains.

The Department of Ecology and Natural Resources of the KMDA hopes that their eco-initiative regarding living walls will be supported in other cities of Ukraine.

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