I’m struggling to think of any "green wall" examples in Scotland (except from north facing, unintentionally green, soggy green walls) but if you’ve ever visited Westfield Shopping Mall in London’s Shepherds Bush you’ll know they have an absolute cracker.

Green walls are all the rage in chic urban gardens currently but they are not just a feature reserved for those that dwell in the big smoke.

The most obvious way to cloak a wall in green is using climbers or wall shrubs but I’m talking about proper living, green walls constructed from a system of cells containing growing media.

There are companies that exist nowadays that specialise in living wall systems but for tighter budgets you can surf the world wide web to find grow bag style products that come in small panels that can be fixed to the wall or hung from a fence.

As always the intention to add planting to your garden should begin with the available growing conditions.

Choose plants that work together horticulturally and have similar requirements in terms of light, moisture and nutrients.

This will not only look really great, it will make your job a helluva lot easier when it comes to maintenance.

Even in this damp country, a south facing green wall is a terrible idea unless you are happy to set up irrigation or be a slave to watering. Much better to choose a shadier location.

Plus, in my opinion anyway, green walls look best when the planting is moist and lush. Evergreen herbaceous perennials such as Polypodium vulgare (native evergreen fern), Pachysandra terminalis, ivy and Liriope muscari are a good start.

Adding interest with deciduous perennials such as Hostas, Epimediums and Heucheras is a popular way to go.

If you’d rather try your hand at a short term installation, many summer bedding plants make good candidates for green walls in sun or shade.

Whichever species you choose, make sure the plants are very young. Plants supplied in modular trays are great but if you can’t get a hold of any, I wouldn't use anything bigger than a 9cm pot.

We spent a couple of days last week planting climbers, erecting supports and installing wires on a large project in the local area. My mind began to wander onto green walls and how awesome they are and so, this column was born.

Although I’ve planted them up in the past, I’ve never had a client commission me for one – so don’t hesitate to get in touch if its up your street! What a pleasure that would be.