An eight story high vertical garden featuring over 260 plant species, 12,000 plants, has been unveiled on the Athenaeum Hotel in London’s Piccadilly neighborhood.

The garden, the tallest in Britain, stretches from ground level to the 10th floor penthouse suite, and is the latest green creation from botanist turned artist Patrick Blanc. Blanc has also designed vertical gardens for the 21st Century Museum of Art in Kanazawa, Japan; the Marithé & François Girbaud boutique in New York and the Quai Branly Museum in Paris.

Although not all of the plants are indigenous to the UK, the plant species are specially chosen for their climate, which is a key factor in keeping the green walls alive. Species in the Athenaeum garden include Fuchsias, aspidistras, ferns and a bright pink flower known as the Angel’s Fishing Rod. A plastic-coated aluminum frame is fastened to the wall and covered with synthetic felt into which plant roots can burrow. A custom irrigation system keeps the felt moist with a fertilizer solution modeled after the rainwater that trickles through forest canopies.

As well as the aesthetic benefits, the vertical garden will also act as a natural air purification system and act as natural insulation for the building.