How do you build a vertical garden?

I notic when following up the site you were on that they direct you to another gardening site come club, called gardners click, a verry good site,but you will find on the whole you will get advice from even more experanced people on this site,( thats numbers to save misunderstanding.)

thanks, I didn't see that link but I will have a look.
Hopefully the answer will come through here and everones expertise!

Gosh... I wouldn't know where to begin, now if you had a natural rock face you wanted planting up I could advise.

Blanc's walls look very impressive but also Expensive! I see from a related site that he uses a hydroponic system for feeding the plants.
Iwould suggest that something similar might be created by using plastic channels, such as rain guttering, as the planters and some sort of framework to support the foliage.
It sounds a very ambitious project but, if you don't try you will never succeed.
Good luck with it.
How about a series of blogs showing how you get on with it?

i would get some mesh and hold back the soil as best as i could then build slightly tipped in a heavy breeze block wal with rebar going through it for more strength.i would also do as bulbaholic sais behind it.i would miss aprpriate blocks or and half blocks for planting.then i would face it with some matural sone cobbles etc.id probably build either a small pond or raisewd planter at the bottem and plant a few creeping/hanging plants like virginer creeper ,creeping jenny.you could have an awsome very small waterfall running from top to botten if you put some liner between block and natural stone.you could even get the water to go wear you want bye the placement of your natural stone.it would only have to be a trickle

Interesting Cliffo - I don't like Gardeners Click as much as this site, I have to say, miserable bunch - you answer questions and rarely does much dialogue take place, most unrewarding. That said, it might be worth your asking your question there, though, Sandown, in the hope that Chris Beardshaw answers you - he does sometimes come on and answer questions.

maybe you could ask for him in person sand

Seen people do that, Nosey, never works - think he picks carefully what he answers, and doesn't do it often.

The problem I would think would be water. And soil. I'm stating the obvious I know!! I would think a drip-pipe at the top would deal with the water, but it would have to be kept on pretty much all the time.....and that would lead to leaching of nutrients.....so we're back to square one. What about just having lots of baskets/containers attached to the wall? An irrigation system could be fitted....or the children could do the watering - but it would have to be every day in summer, which might not be possible over the holidays - what a shame to come back from holls and everything be dead? But the children could bring in suitable containers to us - maybe a good lesson in recycling? Plastic milk bottles, etc, I'm thinking. Just some thoughts for you!!

maybe my idea then

The thing about hydroponics though, is that you don't have any soil at all. Just a nutrient rich water running over the roots of the plants. This would reduce the weight on the structure.

I like that bulbaholic, and I think that Sandownprim, should look in to that, as a real posabilty,

sounds good

thanks for everyones advice, certainly given me plenty to think about. Now I just need to complete a successful bid for external funding and we are off!!