Consultancy Report for Flora Fanatica
Conducted by Dr. Heather Rumble, University of Portsmouth
Summary
- Four species of evergreen climbers, suitable for use as living wall vegetation, were tested for their water retention capacity
- Plants retained the most water during the first three minutes of rainfall, but continued to retain water for the full 30 minutes of the simulation
- Trachelospermum jasminoides and Hedera algeriensis were best at retaining water, relative to their growing footprint
- T. jasminoides, the best performing plant, reduced stormwater by 21%
- Leaf number was a good predictor of water retention for T. jasminoides
- Plant footprint was a good predictor of water retention for Hedera colchica and may have been for H. algeriensis
- There was a suggestion that introducing a leaning angle for H. algeriensis could improve water retention further
- When the effect of soil was included water retention improved by 60%
To read the full report, download the document by clicking here