RESTAURANT: AVA Garden Bar Greenery Transformation | Vines, Faux Green Wall, & Planter Design in St. Louis

Transforming Entertainment Spaces With Greenery at AVA Garden Bar in St. Louis

When it comes to elevating entertainment venues, greenery isn’t just décor—it’s atmosphere. At AVA Garden Bar inside Ballpark Village in St. Louis, Upscapers partnered with The Cordish Companies to create a lush, immersive environment that stands out on game day, photographs beautifully, and delivers consistency in a high‑traffic hospitality space. Using a hybrid system of jasmine‑style vines, wall planters, multi‑species green wall elements, and dramatic hanging planters, the project brought the AVA concept to life while staying aligned with budget, schedule, and the realities of a busy construction site.

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Why Greenery Matters for Hospitality & Entertainment Design

In destinations like Ballpark Village—where every corner is photographed, shared, and experienced by thousands—greenery becomes a design tool. It softens hard surfaces, builds visual identity, and turns ordinary moments into brandable, shareable ones. Artificial greenery is especially powerful in hospitality spaces because it delivers:

• A consistent, maintenance‑free look in environments with heavy foot traffic
• Color and texture that elevate the guest experience without dependency on live‑plant viability
• Photo‑ready design moments ideal for social media, sponsorships, and branded activations
• Durability in rooftop environments, overhead structures, and hard‑to‑service locations

 

But creating a cohesive, multi‑surface greenery design isn’t simple. It demands custom blending, tight coordination, and smart material choices—especially in a project with strict deadlines.

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The Challenge Behind the Beauty

The AVA Garden Bar required a hospitality-grade transformation across several complex surfaces:

An Oversized AVA Entry Archway (20' x 28')

Original drawings called for full panel coverage—inside and outside—making traditional green wall panels cost‑prohibitive. The design needed a way to meet the aesthetic goal without overshooting budget or labor.

Slat Walls With Hanging Planters

The baskets and wall structure limited planting volume, yet the design intent called for lush draping foliage that felt full and layered.

A Sponsor Feature Wall

The signage backdrop had to look premium, multi‑species, and broadcast‑ready—consistent with AVA Nashville’s popular feature walls.

Overhead Hanging Planters & Rooftop Shrub Planters

Planters needed to read as intentional, not an afterthought, and had to match renderings, tie into the AVA brand, and withstand outdoor exposure. And all of this had to be delivered under:

• A fixed installation window
• Coordination across Cordish, Outfield Brew House LLC, and multiple trades
• Strict budget parameters
• A March 27 key‑handover deadline

 

This project required both creativity and precision.

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Design Details That Make It Pop

Upscapers developed a hybrid approach—balancing vines, multi-species foliage, and strategic panel usage—to achieve a premium look without overspending.

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AVA Archway – Jasmine‑Style Vines for Maximum Impact

Instead of full panels, Upscapers proposed wrapping the arch in jasmine‑style vines—maintaining the soft, draping aesthetic while drastically reducing cost and install complexity.

• Vines already in stock ensured the team could commit to the timeline.
• The lighter material approach made the massive archway visually lush while keeping labor efficient.

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Slat Walls With Hanging Planters

Upscapers clarified that 20 baskets—not 30—were needed, helping right‑size the scope.

• Multi‑species foliage mixes were selected to create dimension, texture, and depth.
• Drape and density were tailored to match the renderings and the realities of the baskets’ capacity.

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Sponsor Wall – Multi‑Species Green Wall Feature

For the 6'5" x 21' signage wall, Upscapers provided tiered options:

• Multi-Tonal Green boxwood greenery panel
• Flowering Boxwood greenery panels
• Multi‑Species greenery panels

 

The team chose the multi‑species option for continuity and for the premium “Instagram‑ready” effect.

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Hanging Baskets & Rooftop Planters

Cordish selected Pottery Barn All‑Weather Eco Hevea bowls—20 total—for the overhead structure. Upscapers designed a cascading foliage palette to achieve height, volume, and dramatic visual pull‑down. For the rooftop deck:

• Six custom shrubs, approximately 2.5' tall, were specified to match the renderings.
• The greenery reinforces AVA’s aesthetic language across multiple levels.

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Documentation, COI & Contract Management

For a multi‑stakeholder hospitality environment, paperwork matters. Upscapers coordinated:

• Project Kickoff Forms
• Site Survey documentation
• COI approvals
• Installation and material invoice tracking
• Final deliverables and record-keeping

 

This ensured smooth approvals, clear communication, and a frictionless path to installation.

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Implementation

Early March – Design Refinement

Final counts, foliage selections, pricing, and render references were confirmed, including jasmine vines and proposed shrubs.

Mid‑March – Scheduling & Admin

Firm install dates of March 24–26 were set, with key handover on March 27.
Invoices, COIs, and site documents were handled in parallel to keep momentum.

Late March – Final Prep

Pre‑project meetings aligned the installation team. Materials were queued for pickup and staging.

April – Installation & Closeout

By early April, installation was complete. The Upscapers team:

• Confirmed satisfaction with the Cordish team
• Documented warranties and closing paperwork

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Results

A Landmark Green Entry Moment

The jasmine‑style archway created a dramatic, welcoming gateway—delivering the “wow factor” of the render without unnecessary cost.

Immersive Layered Greenery Throughout the Venue

From eye‑level planters to overhead baskets and rooftop shrubs, the venue now features greenery at every height—tying the environment together.

A Premium Sponsor Wall for Events & Media

The multi‑species sponsor feature wall with signage delivers a polished, high‑value backdrop for branded content, photography, and televised moments.

On‑Time Delivery With Zero Schedule Slippage

Despite tight timing, administrative complexity, and evolving scope, Upscapers delivered precisely within the required window.

Smart Budget Optimization

By reusing Nashville assets and substituting vines for full panel cladding, the project stayed within budget while maintaining visual integrity.

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Why This Project Matters

The AVA Garden Bar installation highlights how Upscapers helps hospitality developers and venue operators:

• Translate creative renderings into buildable, maintainable greenery systems
• Maximize visual impact with hybrid foliage strategies
• Navigate multi‑party coordination, COIs, contracts, and aggressive timelines
• Maintain brand consistency across multiple locations
• Deliver Instagram‑ready spaces without the maintenance burden of live plants

 

For entertainment venues looking to create immersive, photo‑worthy, low‑maintenance environments, this project is a powerful model of what’s possible.