By: David H.
Submitted: 2009-10-13 18:42:30 | Word Count: 531
A roof garden is a garden on top of a building. It is the easiest way to save water, reduce energy costs and help eliminate water run off.
A roof garden is a type of carpeting with plants on the roof of your house. It reduces storm water run offs and improve the energy performance of buildings. The size and shape of a roof garden can vary. Several gardens are small because of the designs of the roof, while others may sprawl out across most of the roof.
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Roof top gardens are efficient ways to eliminate water run offs. It is self maintaining, constructed to save water, decrease energy cost, and provide an elegant ecological setting for native plants, rolling exotic grasses and herbal gardening as well as tresses for roof gardens.
Roof gardens are usually seen in urban areas where there is limited space for cultivation of edible and ornamental plants. It can be purely decorative, like a landscaped garden that encloses rooftop pools in high status hotels. It can also be more useful, providing a variety of vegetables, fruits, and herbs.
Herb gardening can be completed in your roof garden. This can be as simple as flower gardening or vegetable gardening. Choose herbs that can be grown in square foot garden boxes or containers. Several herbs can grow quite tall. You need to also think about their mature sizes prior to planting them. A small raised garden box or container garden is good because it is moveable.
Creating a roof garden can be very beneficial. Not only can it provide a nice landscape, it can also help raise the value of your home. When creating one, check the foundation of your building. Check for waterproofing, water drainage, and weighing ability. Always make sure that your roof can hold the weight that you will put on top of your roof.
When creating flooring for your roof garden, use lighter pavers, timbers, and stones that cannot be weighed down. Wood chips and crushed gravel is a great option for lighter flooring on your roof garden.
The first thing to consider when installing a roof garden is the fact that your roof should be flat and it should have several areas of accessibility. Check if the roof can support heavier loads because wet soil can add up to the weight to eighty or ninety pounds per square foot. If your roof cannot hold this much weight, you can still have a roof garden but you must have it only in bottles or containers, structurally changing your home.
Then, you need to make sure that your ceiling has waterproof membranes. Otherwise, water will sip out of your ceiling. The two commonly used waterproofing materials are rubberized asphalt and thermoplastic sheeting.
Next, also consider the climate in your area. Also see if your place is getting enough sunlight, or is being obstructed by taller constructions nearby.
Think of plants you would prefer in your garden. As long as your garden is planted in soil, whether it’s along the walls or in containers, these are perfect for a roof garden. If you have a very limited space, just reduce the size of your containers.
