Any free surface in the suburban area can benefit. We have talked about vertical gardening, gave examples of creating beds and flower beds. It is time to talk about roofs. Because they can also be green. This idea in the modern landscape design has been used not so long ago, but it is not new. About the wonderful gardens that are planted in exactly the same way thousands of years ago, tells us the story. A trendsetter in this case can be considered Babylon. The famous gardens of Babylon – one of the wonders of the world. Subsequently, in Rome, Greece and Western Europe, this tradition was not only maintained, but also developed. And now this method of gardening is back in fashion.
The contents
What this method of decoration so good?
The roof, covered with greenery, twined with flowers, is very beautiful. But as it turned out, beauty is not the only advantage of this unusual garden.
You can not miss the slightest opportunity to decorate their lives with flowers. With the vegetation on the roof of this building looks like a fabulous gingerbread house
Here are the main advantages that gives us is gardening.
- Improves thermal insulation. Additional coverage can be perceived as an excellent insulator. The owner of this kind of clearing can save money on heating or air conditioning of the room. If we are talking about unheated buildings, which include chicken coops, dog kennels, garages and some workshops, they formed the most favourable for the inhabitants of the microclimate.
- Changing quality composition of air. The increase in the number of live plants in the landscape has a positive effect on the General condition of the air, because photosynthesis produces more oxygen.
- Reduced dustiness. Green spaces hold a large amount of dust.
- Absorption of excess moisture on rainy period. The soil will reduce the rate of runoff from the roof surface storm water.
- The soil is like a natural filter, purifying the rain water. In the result there is no soil contamination on the site, nor its erosion.
- Green spaces increase the sound insulation of the room.
- The green roof will serve its owners longer than usual, since it easier to tolerate any exposure to: radiation, ultraviolet radiation, wide temperature variations, rains, hail etc.
- A large number of plants in the garden beckoning bees, birds and butterflies.
The vegetation on the roof is always unusual. All non-standard not only draws attention to the area, but increases the value of your property.
«Flower carpet» covered the roof of the utility room, which made the. The cottage is literally lined with pots with ornamental plants
Methods of planting roof
There are only two ways such landscaping: extensive and intensive. They differ according to the amount of used plant material and the level of care that you later need.
Option #1 — labor-intensive intensive method
The procedure of the landscaping was possible, you need a durable roof structure. This is especially important during intensive way of work. It is characterized by the use of a large volume of soil (up to meters), planting a variety of plants from flowers to trees and shrubs. A roof can not only admire, but also rest on it. All the things that usually decorate the site can be recreated and it.
Intensive method of gardening involves significant load on the roof, but a great result justifies all costs incurred by you
So often adorn office buildings, restaurants, fitness and shopping centers, expensive houses. All in a makeshift little garden in an unusual place, has to rest. Can be equipped in a country house a spacious summer terrace or the living room. If the house is on a hillside, for example, to rise in this area it would be possible both from the bottom and directly from this slope. It looks quite attractive.
This is the cottage located on the hillside referred to in the text. «Green carpet» on its roof was very appropriate
Option #2 — extensive «green roofs»
Much less maintenance required by the extensive planting method. This is its main advantage. If it only needed a small layer of compost or soil, so fertilizing once or twice a year. Fertilizers are needed only for succulents flowers or grass can do without them. Choosing the right food, you should remember that it should not be washed away the rain, to avoid contamination of wastewater.
If we want to put, for example, Sedum, we will need only a few centimeters of nutrient substrate. This significantly reduces the load on the roof surface. But increases its service life. Sometimes plants can be placed in containers. Planted extensive way, they are almost maintenance-free. However, weed them at least once a year still have.
Lower costs do not always mean the worst result. This corner of the garden, which is literally immersed in greenery, just gorgeous
For extensive landscaping need a roof that would withstand not only the multilayer «pie», required for landing, but loads from the lawn care
This planting is actively used for decoration of warehouse and industrial premises. In a country so covered with vegetation, sheds, garages, bathhouses and other sheds and buildings.
Requirements for roof greening
Green coating can be applied on flat, pitched or even tent structures. If the rays can be called cool, then they better use the extensive method. In the case of a flat surface will have to create an artificial slope for the drainage system to avoid water stagnation. In the absence of natural runoff is necessary to devise a drainage system, which increases the cost of the procedure of landscaping. At low speed runoff also has its advantages: increased degree of filtering of storm flows.
Less problems in the care of the lawn occurs when the roof has a slightly domed design. This facilitates drainage of the soil
No matter whether the construction of the attic in the planting process is not significantly affected. But the presence of the attic provides additional benefits. Him:
- it is easier to monitor the condition of the roof and drainage system;
- if you use a intense method, it is possible to equip a special shaft, increasing the safety in winter the root system of large perennial plants.
The basic requirements for the roof – strength of its design. After all, she will have to endure not only the total weight of the generated multi-layered «pie», but the operational load. In extensive landscaping design should withstand 170 kg/mTwo, when the intense – up to 350 kg/mTwo. It is necessary to provide a reinforced waterproofing and protection against root penetration, which can damage the lower layers of the roof.
At work, try to balance the load to distribute them as uniformly as possible. Special attention should be paid to watering and drainage. Immediately check them for reliability, because then the repairs will be much harder. Its better to spend money, but to do well, and then just to keep things active, enjoying the result.
It is very important that the load on the surface of the roof is evenly distributed. Massive elements should be installed where there is support
What plants are better to use?
Choosing the plants for planting on the surface of the roof, you should remember that they must get along together. In addition, the process of development of seedlings and of seedlings on hills different from the surface. Not all flowers, shrubs and trees ready to adapt to new conditions of survival.
To choose for the roof should be such plants, which probably can be called unpretentious. It is important that they got along well with each other
When choosing seedlings, will be guided by the following criteria:
- small root system;
- excellent drought and frost tolerance;
- the ability to resist wind attacks;
- total simplicity.
The construction, covered with greenery, should attract attention by its beauty and grooming. Perfect ground cover grass, creepers, creeping and dwarf shrubs and trees. Preferred Muscari spring, squill, crocuses, daffodils. Green spaces can be grouped according to characteristics of the external attractiveness, which is so important, because these planting will be visible from afar. View a video on this topic.
You can build a motley Moorish lawn. Well-proven stonecrops, Sedum, Saxifraga, creeping Phlox, allysum, cloves, marjoram, lavender, gypsophila, bells. The total height of the cover in extensive option should not exceed 30 cm, at the initial stage will have to work, but in the future, it is the decoration of the house and buildings will bring you so much joy that you forget about your bill.
General rules and requirements for the work
If the plants are to land directly on the surface of buildings, not in containers, you need a serial device the following layers, which we will list for you, from the bottom up.
- Base. In this capacity, you can use the continuous sheathing of tongue-and-groove boards.
- Waterproofing. On flat roofs the reliability of this layer should be given special attention. Material and technology of insulation must be chosen in accordance with the design of the buildings. Don’t skimp on waterproofing, or subsequent repair will be much more expensive.
- Protivokornevoy protection. It is necessary to prevent root penetration into the underlying layers. For this purpose, suitable folgoizol, ehvalon, fiberglass, foil.
- Drainage. This layer needs to be durable, lightweight and have low weight even in a state of saturation with moisture. Suitable granulated or foamed materials: expanded polystyrene foam, impregnated with bitumen, the pellets of nylon or polystyrene. When laying drainage pipes they are placed along the edges of the pitch.
- Filter layer. It is designed to prevent the drainage level of soil particles. The geotextile will perfectly cope with this task.
- Soil substrate. The problem is that this layer was as light as possible. So you need to add a synthetic leavening agents, sand and peat. For flowers and succulents in the soil fertilized. The thickness of the soil is calculated as 1/3-1/4 of the height of adult plants that will grow here.
- Plants. About what here it is better to grow we referred to above.
If the roof has a slope of over 18 degrees, you need to provide turf protection from slipping. This of wooden slats ready to assemble the frame, use a wire mesh or a grate made of PVC. If planting requires regular watering, need more irrigation. It is better to use the automatic option, which will not be paid to the problem of too much attention. Ideal is drip method of irrigation, because the extra moisture the roof to anything.
On the roof with the slope necessary to build a framework of protection which will keep all the plant material in the designated place
Using containers for plants can change the design of the plantings at your discretion, facilitates the care of plants on the roof
For those who are still not ready to turn your roof into an emerald lawn, will suit the option of planting flowers in special containers. View whether you’ll like this idea in principle. If you do doubt that they are able to bring their idea to life, try your hand on small areas. It should at least be a doghouse or a shed over the well. View the video and make sure that there is nothing difficult in the incarnation of this idea is not.
