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Roof Gardens: Three Types
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Aesthetically pleasing, roof gardens are functional as well. Roof gardens can provide hydrological benefits, architectural enhancements and temperature control in addition to food. Sometimes they can even serve as a habitat for wildlife. Planting a roof garden can have many advantages. For instance, it can cool the room below it on a day. During winter, it provides insulation against the cold. In Germany, roof gardens are required to retain water from evaporating. It will prevent flash floods from occurring. Three basic types of roof gardens exist. The maintenance they require, the depth of the soil, and the type of plants the roof can support mark the main differences among the three.
Extensive Roof Garden
This type of roof garden is easier to maintain than the other two because it uses shallow soil. Because they are lightweight, extensive roof gardens work wonderfully on top of garages, sheds and other small home extensions. However, these types of roof gardens have less aesthetic value than their counterparts and are limited in the number of plants you can grow despite the simplicity of maintaining them. Examples of plants you can grow in an extensive roof garden are lichens and mosses. Known as symbiotic organisms, lichens can colonize on glass, plastic and metal surfaces. Mosses, which are small small green plants, do not depend on large amounts of nutrients for survival. Instead, these plants that clint to stones and walls can live off rainwater alone.
Semi-Extensive Roof Garden
This type of roof garden, which has deeper soil, is able to support more plant varieties. Because of their depth, you can more decorate these more easily than their extensive counterparts. The soil is heavier in a semi-extensive roof garden, and requires a stronger structure in order to support it. A good plant choice for this type of garden is sedums, which can store water in their tissues. Although drought and neglect can cause these types of plants to turn patchy or die, they don’t require watering every day. Because they require little maintenance, wildflowers are also ideal for a semi-extensive roof garden.
Intensive Roof Garden
Intensive roof gardens require structures that are large and strong for support since they can house trees and other elaborate arrangements. Most homes are not suitable for this type of roof garden, but they can be found on concrete buildings and on top of roof decks. Assuming the building’s structure is capable of supporting the weight, the intensive roof garden has no limitations regarding what you can plant in it.
About the author: Megan Barlow helps others learn to live greener and more eco-friendly lives. Learn more about sustainable living at her blog on Green and Eco-Friendly Gadgets.
This article was first posted at Roof Gardens: 3 Types.
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