THE WALL!!!

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.

A mess but it is coming together.

a cliff area in the wall will be holding a huge birdsnest philo I have. It has about a 7 foot width so should look nice in that cliff in the wall.

The ROCK
this stuff is really amazing plants seem to root right to it sense it is made from clay it has no chemicals in it. It also has a odd holes and colors most are dark purple looking. All the open spots of the wall with cracks will be filled up with longfiber spaghnum moss so plants can root into the smaller areas. I still will have to put vinegar on the walls were a lot of cement was used.

This is a pic of shelbys greenhouse one of the main inspirations for my wall.

Another inspiration was the epiphtic house at Fairchild tropical gardens.

Wow - That's incredible! You're well on your way to success! Please keep us posted on the progress.
Sharon

What a sight that will be when you get it planted. Marvelous idea. That manufactured stone sounds, and looks, great.

I have now decided that I would love my next house to be a greenhouse. No kidding. I love heat and humidity and plants. And, if I ever get my unusual wish, I definitely want a rock wall. Brian, I can't wait to see what you do with yours!

ROX

Rox I have had the same dream. Even thought of how to go about doing something like that. All you need is a small rock quarry that has no water in it. If you get a top on that the ground temps would keep it at 55f. I have thought it out many times but have been unable to find a small rock quarry that would work.

Brian amazing is the only word I can think of.

Find some hypertufa fiends and you have it made!!!

Ah, Brian...I see Hoya and Dischidia growing on that wall....also a tiny leafed Medinilla...Ficus repens, tiny ferns....how delightful!!! I don't know about a whole house...but I would like an open bathroom where three walls are rock and open at the top....and then the 4th. wall has the facilities....the bathtub/shower is in the center by the rock walls. We had a bath like that in Bali and it was incredible!!!

Carol

Why do you need to do this?

Well the cement is a base and some plants like a lime type soil but in many cases new cement has a lot and plant will not grow to it. It also eats the skin off your hands if you play in it all day. Vinegar is a acid and when applied to a base it cancels each other out. Meaning it makes it neutral so plants will now grow to it. I notice this a lot with older walls or homes plants and vines will grow on the older homes because after years of rain and weather the walls have become more neutral.

My father has been working with cement his whole life and years ago I would build ponds out of cement. Back before lines were easier to find. If you were to throw the fish in after cementing they would die due to the high levels of lime.

* Acids taste sour, are corrosive to metals, change litmus (a dye extracted from lichens) red, and become less acidic when mixed with bases.
* Bases feel slippery, change litmus blue, and become less basic when mixed with acids.

WONDERUL.. BRIAN..
you'll havesuch fun placing everything in there... I'm looking for a spot..quite tropical to begin with...where I can design and build a plant/person livng enviornment... the wall is a natural... keep the dream developing... Gordon

Brian-wouldn't it be cheaper to spray sulfuric acid on the cement instead of vinegar? Sulfuric acid (35-40%) is battery acid and you can get a small container of it at a car parts store for like $4. A tablespoon of it mixed in one gallon of water and put thru a hozeon (1:16 ratio) takes the PH of the water from 6.5 to 3.

Brian, you mentioned a mist system. Do you intend to drip water down the wall, sort of like a "living wall?" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_wall

The living wall has the advantage of some evaporative cooling and possibly improving water and air quality.

Please continue to post pictures.

tigerlily never thought about Sulfuric acid. I am not possitive but I think it can eat cement?? I will have to look into it. The vinegar just seems safer to me but I will have to spend a bit more.

As for it being a living wall. This side will have a mister that kicks on every 30 minutes for about 30 seconds. The wall should be kept fairly damp. The other wall I plan to work with is going to have a liner under it and I plan to drip water off it constantly and recycle it. I was thinking of adding the same thing to this side but had already layed down the the first few rocks so adding a line was out of the question. I have also thought about adding a well like drain in the middle of the greenhouse and sloping all the cement towards that drain and recycling all the water being used to some extent. I will not work on that for sometime though.
If any of you ever get a chance to go to Atlantas high altitude house they have a really nice system were water from the greenhouse drains down into a under ground tunnel and air is blown through the tunnel and back out the top of the greenhouse as well as the water is sprayed back through the mist. It make it very cool super humid and no nutrients in the water very pure rain like effect. They are growing some amazing stuff that most people cannot grow high altitude is very hard to duplicate. Here is a photo of the greenhouse. They get spaghnum moss to grow all over the place and nepethes and orchids are weedy their.

Brian, I think you are right that fullstrength sulfuric acid (95%) would eat just about anything!! lol but this is 35% that is just a T in a gallon of water that you run thru a hozeon, so its really 16 gallons of water-you can stick your hand in it. I use it to water the plants to bring the PH down-and if it doesn't hurt them, then it definitely will not affect the cement. You would save a lot of money, and I think its more effective in neutralizing the PH.

Are you thinking about using the recycled water to water plants with? I have read a lot of articles that come out against that strongly as that recycled water carries the ability to spread bacteria and fungus to other plants. There may be a way to sterilize it first though.
I like the idea of the wall-nothing like a humid overgrown area to make you think you are in the jungle! I admire your drive in achieving this too! I would like to have one in my bedroom...lol what a way to wake up each morning.

Brian,......I lust!!!!

Hap

Bwilliams, is your rock source available? I have been looking for some unusal rocks but the large ones are very expensive. Do you mind sharing? Thanks Elaine

Hey elaine is Thomasville, where they make those English Muffins ? Regards Paul

Tigerlily I have heard also of fungus being carried through the water. I think the main thing is the lay out of your beds. I have to use large fist size rocks at the bottom then a later of fabric and then a later of charcoal after this I will be using a mixture of dime size corse rock and something similar to orchid mix and longfiber spaghnum moss. It will have to work much like a hydroponic system and a few prevenitive chemicals might be added to the water.
I have seen wall like this done and if it is done right it looks amazing and also raises the humidity and cools off the greenhouse in winter and the humidity keeps the air temps warmer in winter. You manly have to keep out any decaying soils.

Elaine they do not sell the rock usually it is just a by product. The main problem is I have to go load it myself due to the damage done when a bobcat loads it. You would have to drive up and get it and drive back a good load would be fairly heavy.

That's fabulous Brian! Can't wait to see plants growing on it.

This is a little different than yours and I don't think as nice as what you’re doing but I do like the pond idea. http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=2928489
The living in a greenhouse idea. I remember seeing pictures in a magazine many years ago of a beautiful home. It had a huge Greenhouse with an indoor swimming pool. There was a flagstone floor and beautiful plants growing everywhere. They had furniture and a TV just like a regular living/dining room right in the Greenhouse. I have always dreamed of having a room like that. Holly

Back in the 70's I had that idea too. Two things that stopped me were living in the frigid Rochester, NY and money.

Brian, your work is tops. I have some plans, in my head, about doing something at the end of my pool. My neighbor thru out some cement block and it somehow got in my yard, so I think I will use that as a base. Wasn't I lucky? Then I want to try the hypertufa on it. We will see.

Please keep the pix coming for they are such an inspiration.

Hap

Hap, I saw a program on HGTV (A Gardener's Diary with Erica Glasener) about a couple who created an oasis in Miami. They dug down into the ground (instead of building up) to create a grotto into the natural limestone that percolated water continuously and had some very rare philodendrons and orchids growing on the walls going down into the grotto. A lot of work but well worth it.

Brian, how long have you been working on this? It will be interesting to see how it turns out - you are creating quite a paradise. Where is Shelby's Gardens? I've been to Fairchild the last two years plus go to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens which has a great orchid house but would like to see Shelby's Gardens now.

How old were these ppelp hcm? I am 66 and my DH is 73. Digging in coral rock is long ago for us. LOL

Hap

Thanks Brian for the info. Paul are you talking about a product put out called Thomas. Those are not made in Thomasville. However if you have ever eaten any Sunbeam Bread, Natures Own, Cobblestone, BlueBird, Bunny Bread are a few of the name they bake under. The bakery and corporate offices are here and was started by a father & son. Many of them still live here. They have public stock now and were privately owned until maybe 10-15 years ago. They owned Mrs. Smith pies until recently they sold it. Thank you for asking.

Selby botanical gardens is in Ft myers FL just down the street form the very cool Tropiflora nursery those are two must go places on my trips to Florida.


I am sad to say I have been working on this for 3 to 4 years. I think I did not touch it for one whole year and the other years I would just do small pieces and no major work. I have done 4 year of work in the last 3 to 4 weeks with this warm weather we have been having and my extra time which I am not use to having with nice weather.

The greenhouse display with the pond is very nice but I have been scared of using this artifical rock manly because it looks artificial. I have working with making rocks and find that a fine paste and fiberglass added you can get some real nice clumpy effects which look more like real rock rather than trying to go for a straight slick look. Either way if you put in the mist and get the situtation right you wont even really get to see the rocks due to all the plants and moss. Here is a close up of a rock at Selbys you cannot really even tell its their.

MichaelSC you out here? I would like to see some pics of your walls. I have a huge area about 15 to 20 feet up I plan to build similar to the way you built yours. If you can show some pics and maybe list some problems you have run into with them. I think the biggest problem with mine is the moss or fibers fall down to the bottom area leaving the top empty?? Would love to see some pics. THANKS

Selby is in Sarasota, not Ft Myers. Other than that, rock on.

Alan

Your right Sarasota!!!

bwilliams, very interesting wall! Do you know when Louisville is hosting their Spring Garden Show? I am closer to Nashville and attend it. I would like to try Louisville's too this year just to compare them.
Thanks,
Teresa in Ky

Their is a garden show the weekend of the 12th at the KY expo center. I think their is another one in the spring a bit larger at the fair grounds.

Thanks, I enjoy your tropicals. I don't have many and post mostly on Daylilies because I have a large collection of them. I only wish I had a GH for my brugs and EEs. Have a good weekend.

Okay, Selby Gardens in Sarasota! I kept looking for S(h)elby on the web and found a lot of gardens but nothing that really stood out. The next time I'm down there I will have to stop and take it in. I've been to Sanibel Island a couple of times near Ft. Myers which is a great nature area - gators and all.

I thought limestone/coral was supposed to be fairly easy to dig through? Reminds me of the coral castle that guy made by himself around Homestead. Pretty neat stuff although a little over-hyped (mystical properties and all).

Coral rock is as bad if not worse than cement. It has limited me in my delusions of a large garden. I did down 3-4" and boom, I hit a rock. It can be anywhere from1-20+lbs. Then I go another couple of inches and boom again. Ain't fun. I never thought that I would be on the proverbial rock pile detail at 66!

Hap

I got the misters working over the wall. It should start looking very interesting soon.