Trilix — Interior Plantscaping and Custom Railing Planters
Trilix — Interior Plantscaping and Custom Railing Planters is a commercial plantscaping project by Trendy Gardener in Downtown Des Moines, Iowa, for Trilix — downtown Des Moines office. Scope: commercial interior plantscaping, custom aluminum planter design and fabrication, architectural planter specification, annual maintenance with replacement guarantee. Fourteen custom railing planters in five lengths, all 6" wide x 6" high in profile (4 1/4" planting depth over a 1 3/4" skirt): P01 at 62" (qty 1), P02 at 58" (qty 1), P03 at 43 1/2" (qty 6), P04 at 36" (qty 2), P05 at 27" (qty 4). The five lengths were sized to fit separate partition runs at different points in the office — not a single continuous run. Combined planter length is approximately 46 ft 9 in. Six freestanding vessels from 12 x 12 x 12 in to 24 x 24 x 24 in.
The brief
Introduce architectural greenery into a low-light downtown office interior, using the building's existing railings as mounting structure rather than consuming floor area.
Conditions
Low-light commercial interior with black-painted exposed structure, partition walls of perforated metal and light wood panel set in black steel frames, and polished concrete floors. Partition top rails of varying run lengths provided the mounting condition; railing itself supplied by others. Measured light levels, HVAC exposure, and access constraints not yet recorded.
Design rationale
The office's partition walls already defined the plan; the planters turn the top edge of those partitions into a planted line, adding greenery without consuming floor area or interrupting the perforated-metal screening below. Each planter was fabricated to the length of the specific partition run it sits on, which is why five sizes exist rather than one repeated module — every run reads as purpose-built rather than as a series of pots set on a ledge. All visible welds were specified ground smooth and blended so each planter reads as a single formed object. Black powder coat matches the existing black steel partition framing so the containers recede and the planting carries the visual weight. The freestanding vessels follow the light and the visitor sequence: the two largest Limas take the seating-area corners next to the windows, the tall Toulan marks the window line in front of reception, and the smallest Limas work at eye level on the reception counter and seating-area credenza.
Materials and specification
Custom partition-top planters: 1/8" aluminum 5052, powder coated black, fabricated to five lengths. Freestanding vessels from Jay Scotts in matte gunmetal — three Lima 12 x 12 x 12 in, one Lima 24 x 24 x 24 in, one Lima 20 x 20 x 20 in, and one Toulan 12 x 12 x 32 in. Plant palette is entirely low- and medium-light species, selected for the building's light conditions rather than adapted to them.
Installation
Railing planters mount to the top rails of the office's perforated-metal and wood-panel partition walls via 7/8" x 1 3/4" x 1/8" aluminum angle fixed with 1/4" x 1" hex head drilling screws, detailed as typical for all planters. Railing supplied by others. The fourteen planters are distributed across several partition runs at different points in the office rather than forming one continuous line, which is why five lengths were fabricated. Freestanding vessels: the Toulan 12 x 12 x 32 in stands beside the windows in front of the reception desk; two Lima 12 x 12 x 12 in planters sit on the counter behind the reception desk, one to either side; the Lima 24 x 24 x 24 in and Lima 20 x 20 x 20 in occupy the corners of the seating area next to the windows; the third Lima 12 x 12 x 12 in sits on the credenza in the seating area.
Technical detail
Railing planters: material 1/8" aluminum 5052; finish powder coated black; weldment specified so all visible welds are ground smooth and blended for a seamless appearance. Mounting detail typical for all planters — 7/8" x 1 3/4" x 1/8" aluminum angle fixed with 1/4" x 1" hex head drilling screws to railing supplied by others. Drawing set P01–P05 covers five planter profiles at 1:12 section scale, dated April 2024. Publication-ready drawing set supplied without fabricator title block or confidentiality stamp.
Ongoing care
Annual maintenance agreement with a replacement guarantee, running continuously since the May 2024 installation and now in its third year. Any plant that is not performing well is swapped out for a new one. Planters are also rotated on their axis during service so growth stays even and the planting does not lean collectively toward the light source — a particular risk in a low-light interior where plants orient hard toward the windows.
Outcome
Installed May 2024. The maintenance agreement has run continuously since and is now in its third year, making this the longest-running documented commercial account in the portfolio. Establishment photography taken August 2024, three months after installation.
