trained plants

A facade of trained plants is an outer surface of a structure which is formed by training, weaving, or clustering living bushes, trees, or other plants to grow in some intended formation. It can take the form of a dense wall of closely packed branches and foliage, or it can be an open framework of trees, vines, bushes, or other growth with a planned architectural shape.

This is not the same as a green wall, nor does it apply to a masonry facade covered with ivy. In a trained-plant facade, the plants are not attached to an underlying wall but rather are freestanding, or follow a minimal framework of wood or metal which serves more as a guide for the growing plants than as a load-bearing support.

The living growth itself forms the facade, either densely or as an open architectural arrangement. A minimal guiding frame is allowed, while plants attached to a substantial underlying wall remain outside this definition.