Forum home Garden design
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Anyone grown a living roof?

2»

Posts

  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Sedums are the lightest option for a green roof but you have to pick your species and substrate carefully. Take a look at this thread to see just how little some of them need.

    This was my previous green roof experiment. I'd love to have a larger scale project to try now though. Sedums are great in their place but I'd like to do a full habitat roof now with varying soil levels and more insect habitat like the perimeter mini-gabion type edging and shallow water areas.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    I've got a brown roof experiment going on. About about 3 inches of gritty soil and just leave it to see what comes. So far it's just the usual pioneer species - ox eye daisies, some little geranium things, wild chamomile, catsear and couch grass. There is a sedum that I have put in in a few places (just shoved any broken off leaves into the soil - most will take). Like the other wild parts of my garden, each year a few new things appear.
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    There's a house a couple of miles from me which was built on a rather inhospitable corner site - a bit of an odd location, and there's no proper garden, but I watched it with interest as it gradually appeared, because it was on my way to work. The house itself is basically 'round', and very contemporary,  but it has a large green roof. Certainly draws attention  :)
    My little bird cage roofs are just grit, with the only soil being the stuff that was already attached to the little plants when I put them in.   
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Sign In or Register to comment.