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Roof Gardens: Three Types
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Roof gardens are functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. In addition to growing food, roof gardens can also provide temperature control, hydrological benefits and architectural enhancements. Sometimes they can even serve as a habitat for wildlife. Planting a roof garden can have many advantages. On a hot day, for instance, the garden can cool the room beneath it. During winter, it provides insulation against the cold. To retain water from evaporating, roof gardens are required in Germany. 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 is the easiest type of roof garden to maintain because it uses shallow soil. Because they are lightweight, extensive roof gardens work wonderfully on top of garages, sheds and other small home extensions. While these typese of roof gardens are easy to maintain, they are limited in the number of plants you can grow on it and have less aesthetic value than their counterparts. Examples of plants you can grow in an extensive roof garden are lichens and mosses. Glass, metal and plastic are ideal surfaces for symbiotic organisms like lichens to colonize on. Mosses are small green plants that do not require large quantities of nutrients for survival. Instead, these plants that clint to stones and walls can live off rainwater alone.
Semi-Extensive Roof Garden
Because they have deeper soil, these kinds of roof gardens can support a wider variety of plants. These types, therefore, are more easily decorated than extensive roof gardens. Semi-extensive roof gardens require stronger structures to support them since the soil is heavier. Sedums, succulents that store water in their tissues, are ideal for this garden type. Although drought and neglect can cause these types of plants to turn patchy or die, they don’t require watering every day. On a semi-extensive roof garden, you can also plant wildflowers that can grow without any maintenance.
Intensive Roof Garden
Capable of supporting trees and elaborate arrangements, intensive roof gardens require the support of strong, large structures. Because most homes are unsuitable for roof gardens of this type, they are more commonly found on top of roof decks and concrete buildings. Assuming the structure of the building can support the weight, there is no limit to what you can plant in an intensive roof garden.
About the author: Megan Barlow helps others learn how to live greener and more environmentally friendly lives. Learn more about green living at her blog on Eco-Friendly Green Gadgets.
Original Article Roof Gardens: Three Types.
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