Rooftop Gardening is Red Hot!

Add More Green Spaces with
Rooftop Landscaping

A roof top garden or green roof consists of plants on a roof. It is partially or completely covered with soil and vegetation over a waterproofing membrane. A green roof garden can incorporate into a pergola, arbor, terrace, garage roof, shed and children's play structure.

Container gardening and deck landscaping is a recent trend for confined space landscaping like condominiums, town houses, loft living in the United States and many other countries. Rooftop living is an exploding trend in the urban setting and no longer for penthouse gardens. In most urban areas, more than 75 percent of the land is covered by buildings, sidewalks and parking lots. All that pavement has turned many cities into heat islands. Rooftops are like ceilings of your interior - forgotten wall, the most underutilized area of the home. Why not give green roofs a try.

Green roof gardening is environmentally friendly and usually done with low watering succulents and has many benefits and reasons:

• Improve air quality and lower temperatures
• Increase outdoor green space
• Insulate buildings in the winter
• Reduce urban heat-island effects
• Delay/reduce storm water runoff
• Create habitats for birds and butterflies
• Reduce CO2 emissions
• Decrease smog and save in energy costs
• Increase the value of buildings
• Increase outdoor green space at home or at work within the urban environment

Green Roof Basics

A rooftop garden typically consists of the following components:

• an insulation layer
• a waterproof membrane to protect the building/structure from leaks
• a root barrier to prevent roots from penetrating the waterproof membrane
• a drainage layer - usually made of lightweight gravel or plastic
• a geotextile or filter mat that allows water to soak through but prevents erosion of fine soil particles
• a growing medium
• plants
• a wind blanket (sometimes)

Structural Capacity

Prior to designing and constructing your rooftop garden, you must first determine if your roof can support the weight of the soil and plants. If your structural capacity is sufficient, you will need to obtain the proper permits from the Department of Construction and Permits before proceeding.

Access

Consider what kind of access to the roof will be needed during and after the rooftop garden is installed.

Selection of Plants

Plants requiring little water, such as sedums are perfect for a roof garden.

Lighting

Add low voltage landscape lighting to create drama and ambience and add tranquility.

Forget Me Not Landscape Design is a San Diego landscape design company bringing science, art and nature to each and every client with emphasis on reducing our impact on the environment with xeriscape landscape design.