"the plant wall has a real future for the well-being of people living in cities. the horizontal is finished - it's for us. but the vertical is still free, said patrick blanc, who, fascinated by plants that flourish without soil and in low light, went on to study this phenomenon at pierre & marie curie university in paris and traveled to malaysia and thailand to observe how plants managed to grow on rocks or in forest underbrush. the research he has carried on at the french national center for scientific research is central to his work with plant walls, which thrive indoors using artificial lighting. a plant wall begins as a surface like a painting and as the plants grow it develops volume. it does not need to be trimmed and the density of the planting prevents weeds from sprouting. a wall he designed at the cartier foundation for contemporary art in paris has never been pruned. the use of artificial materials enables longevity. a wall in the living room of his house is 25 years old. blanc never copies himself and has been careful to copyright his walls, like works of art. he prefers leaves to flowers and avoids plants with trailing vines. "i look at the architecture of leaves. i use plants with curves. when i am invited into museums to create permanent workds, i am treated like an artist," he said, "meaning capable of choosing the plant sequences that will function together in the long run. construction for the walls, which blanc leaves to gardeners, costs around $700 per sq-m, plus labor. nyt 5.3.07 "all his rooms are living rooms"

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