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Rooftop gardens is a method of gardening we are starting to hear more and more about. And not only in your typical high rise city, like Chicago’s City Hall who’s gardens on the roof are open to the public by appointment. The gardens were built as part of an EPA study and initiative to combat the urban heat island effect and to improve urban air quality.

There is also, London’s secret treasure, Kensington Gardens,  a protected historic preservation site. These rooftop gardens were created on top of what was a department store in 1932 to give shoppers a scenic resting spot.

Whether it is a green quiet getaway or a garden for raising your own food you can grow if your structure can support the garden’s weight. The sky is the limit, get it? The sky… roof top… growing toward the light… ooooooh okay, but just LOOK at what some are doing!!

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Rooftop Gardens

Vertically Vegetated Buildings

Chic City Gardens

The concept of a roof garden is not a new one. In fact, it is centuries old!. If you live in an urban area, your dreams of having a garden may be difficult to achieve. Not so if you consider a roof garden!

More and more communities are encouraging their residents to plant roof gardens. The environmental and psychological benefits are numerous. Not only is gardening a calming and relaxing activity, which can reduce stress related illnesses, it also has great benefits for the environment. Building a rood garden on your home or apartment building decrease storm water runoff, reduce fire risks, help decrease heating and cooling costs and can protect your roof from the effects of ultra-violet light and frost.

There are three types of roof gardens and the three types related to the amount of maintenance they require, the depth of soil and the type of plants they will support. They are:

Extensive living roofs

These are easy to maintain and use little soil. Extensive living roofs are lightweight and lend themselves well for use on sheds, garages and small extensions. As they tend to be harsh environment, suitable plants are ones that are found on cliffs or other harsh environments. While this type of roofs gardens are the easiest to maintain, they also have the least visual appeal.

Semi-extensive living roofs

These garden roofs are more decorative as they have deeper soils which can support a greater variety of plants. However, the increased soil depth makes these types of roof garden more heavy, so a sound structure is require to support them. They combine the relatively low maintenance of extensive living roofs with a more appealing appearance.

Intensive living roofs

These are full-fledged gardens and require large and strong support structures.

One of the main considerations when planning a roof garden is the roof itself. While flat roofs lend themselves the best to roof gardens, it is also possible to green pitched, barreled and domed roofs. An easy access to the roof is also important as I am sure you would not be able to enjoy your roof garden as much if you have to climb a ladder every time you want to look at it. The roof must able be able to support heavy loads. Wet soil can weight about eighty pounds per square foot.

Make sure you install a waterproof membrane to avoid ending up with a wet ceiling. The two most commonly used materials are thermoplastic sheeting or rubberized asphalt. As I am certain that you will not want to dig up your garden to replace the membrane every few years, make sure you select a product that is extremely durable. The next layer should be a filter sheet that will allow the moisture to drain off the roof while ensure that the fine material do not escape. Next comes the moisture blanket which will ensure that an extensive live roof garden has enough moisture to support life. Commercial ones can be purchased however it is also possible to use cardboard or old blankets to the same effect.

The following layer will be a drainage layer. Similar to the moisture blanket, it will help retain moisture while allowing excess water to drain away. They are usually made of plastic or geotextile materials. The top layer will be the soils and substrates. These should be lightweight and free draining yet retain moisture. One such option is an aggregates mixed with light sub-soild such as crushed porous brick or limestone chippings. Finally come the seeds and plants. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination and the environment. Happy gardening!

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More about Roof Gardening

A roof garden is any garden situated on the roof a building. A flat or gently sloped roof transformed into a landscape environment.

These are grown plants atop structure that started during ancient times, about 2,500-3,000 years ago in Rome and Mesopotamia. It became popular in the 19th century. Here are some benefits of Roof Garden:

• Very attractive & decorative
• It can provide food & other useful plants
• It helps in controlling environment temperature (reduce heat loss during winter & heat gain in summer)
• It is considered as architectural enhancement and for recreational opportunities
• It promotes biodiversity; valuable inner city habitat and feeding stations especially for insects and birds.
• It controls flood
• It creates usable space for people

Hydroponics, the use nutrients solution in growing plants instead of soil and other alternative means can expand roof gardening. Wanting a roof garden for less space, square foot and living walls gardening are advisable. These use less space than traditional gardening. The square roof method is when the garden space are divided into beds that are accessible, each is divided in one square foot where different seeds are planted in each space to avoid crowding and thinning of plants.

It is beneficial since there is much less to be done, it conserves water, and it’s pesticide-free and very accessible. The living walls gardening or vertical gardening as sometimes called is either freestanding or part of the building that is partially covered. This is considered as experimental and new concept in roof gardening. A variety of this are active walls that kept behind glass and with the aid of a fan, the air circulates. It best suits in the heart of the cities since available vertical surfaces are being used. We can simply say its urban gardening.

We have to consider the roof itself when building one. The roof should be flat and accessible. Wet soil can weigh more than eighty pounds per square foot; your roof must be able to support this weight. Peat moss can also be use to ensure there will be sufficient soil. Make sure that roofs are also waterproof. In order to keep up, climate should also be taken into consideration. Urban areas are mostly shaded while if it’s in direst sunlight, plants will be withered. Think of what kind of garden you want to have before choosing the plants. Lastly, Plastic pots are definitely lighter than clay pots. By using light materials, it will reduce the strain on your roof. Fences and screen or net lawn can be use to protect the plants.

One of the most famous roof gardens is Queen Semiramis’ Gardens nailed in Babylon, one of the original Seven Wonders of the World. It’s famously known as the hanging garden of Babylon. It was towered hundreds of feet into the air. It surpasses in splendor any city in the known world. It was built around 600 B.C. and was destroyed by several earthquakes after second century B.C.

Another beautiful roof garden is the Kensington Roof Garden in London. It is the largest roof garden in Europe – are accessible from Derry Street, through a doorway marked “99 Kensington High Street”. The garden has a restaurant, nightclub, and are nailed in 30 meters above street level with a panoramic view over west London. It is not very known because this is not a tourist attraction but open to public as restaurant and nightclub.

Above these, roof gardening encourage environmentally responsible practices like eliminating pesticides, eliminating molecular biology and composting different material which is the best form of any of fertilization.

For more information on Roof Gardens please visit  www.ROOF-GARDENS.COM

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