Tropicals & Tender Perennials: THE WALL!!!, 1 by bwilliams

bwilliams wrote:
Well a few years ago I took a trip to Selby botanical gardens. Their I saw one of the most beautfiul display greenhouses ever. In it was a huge rock wall that dripped water and had amazing plants growing all over it. Sense seeing this I have been on a quest to create something very similar. Of course on a larger scale LOL. So a few years back I started working on a rock wall in my largest person greenhouse which is around 80 feet long and 30 feet wide with a peak roof at 22feet. The wall are around 10 feet tall on the sides. It was fairly rough starting out not knowing exactly what materials to use. I was lucky enough to find a place that made solight rock. Which is just clay that is super heated to form a volcanic like rock used in landscapes. On visiting the place we found they had a by product of huge bolder like volcanic rock and it was cheep. This became the main material for my rock wall. Light weight and unusual. For the first year I got a nice section of the wall done. But as the spring and summer came I found it very hard to find time to work on my project. I have been messing with it for the past few years slowely.
This winter with its odd warm weather and extra time I have found myself full force trying to get atleast one side of the wall completely done. I have right around 40 to 50 feet of wall done and working on the last few top layers then hopefully I can get to planting on it. A misting system is set above the wall and many bromeliads and other tropicals will be growing on the top cavity at the very top of the wall. Once I can move enough plants a small rock wall will be built 4 to 6 feet from the wall and a raised bed will be put their. I am planning to have many aroids and odd orchids on this wall. Hopefully by spring I can have some very interesting photos to show of the completed project. So far here are some pics taken a few weeks ago.