Building a Living Wall

That does look very clever of you Derek. Far much cheaper that has been shown on TV.
How do you intend watering? They recommened one of those watering systems - which again would bump up the price.
I do hope you do us updates...there were quite a few members who expressed an interest in this.
Thank you.

Brilliant...... this is going to look fab in a few weeks!!! well done, what did you use to make the "pockets" ...look forward to seeing how this progresses, been so much talk on living walls recently...your version LOOKS FAB..... and great price you have managed to achieve it for x
PS = Loving your statue x

I too, would be interested in updates from you Derek.

WOW I love it, great choice of plants too derekp, looking forward to seeing it in a few weeks..

What a great idear, bet it will look lovely when plants have grown a bit more

How do the plants drain, Derek?
I think this is a great idea and more practical than others I've looked at. It's going to look fabulous.

That looks really great. I love living walls, although the one they showed at GW live event did seem costly as they advised buying purpose made materials. The black material you've used looks good even before the plants have had chance to cover it too.

Saw one of these at tthe oldest pub in B'ham( England?) ~ forget the name but in Digbeth. It was so impressive. Yours looks to have made a very good start. Good luck with it.

Looking forward to seeing your updates as well!

Very cleaver! Looks great! Is it black, plastic? Or garden weed fabric?

That is so ingenious, Derek! And looking good, too - lovely choice of plants. Brilliant idea.
Now I'm going to spoil it all by asking you what happens at the end of each gully, which presumably is full of compost - what's to stop it washing out each time you water? Have you stapled it vertically or is it open?

Hi Jackie and Derek...

This is a fascinating project.
I'm adding the blog to GoYpedia "Walls".

Are the bricks likely to be damaged by damp or condensation, or does the wall itself stay dry ?

Updates with more photos will be very interesting. :o)

Thats really good, i love all the greens together against the black it looks stunning.

yes keep us updated, be great to see how it develops

I want to say a big thank you for all your kind and positive comments. Sorry it's been a while to update this blog. I have included a couple of extra photos of how our living wall is looking 6 weeks on.

The wall is starting to fill out nicely considering this side of the wall does not get any sun from late morning onwards. The plants are well protected from the wind and rain so it's been important to water these every other day. Even with the hard rain we've been having it's still been pretty dry.

Just to answer a few of the questions.
The fabric I chose is just normal weed suppressant fabric. This is a strong, durable and allows good drainage for the water. I use a spray gun to water and aim just above the tops of the plants, this allows the water to miss the soil and it then runs down the back of the fabic getting into the soil. So long as I don't use a powerful spray it doesn't wash the soil away.
The fabric is open at the sides. Once the compost is in, it doesn't fall out the sides as the fabric is butted right up to the edge of the wood and the compost compacts down. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks again. Derek and Jackie

That looks really good - well done Derek and Jackie!

Oh, that IS looking good. An altogether successful venture, I'd say, and thank you for being thoughtful enough to update us.

A thank you for the update from me too....it does look good. All the different colour and textures. Well done!