by Vonda J. Sines

Created on: June 28, 2010

Roof gardening offers many possibilities for would-be gardeners.  It’s the perfect solution if they live in an urban area and are short on space.  Novice gardeners love the effects they can create with arrangements of containers.  These gardens can create splotches of color in the midst of a drab urban environment.  A roof garden can also benefit the environment.

What exactly is a roof garden?

It’s a garden you can grow on a number of roofs.  Depending on your circumstances, you might choose your home, garage, an overhang or a shed.  You can plant a flat bed or garden in terra cotta containers. 

One of the best go-to sites for roof gardeners is TheEnvironmentSite. 

What are the different kinds of roof gardens?

The three types of roof gardens get their names from the amount of maintenance, depth of soil and varieties of plants required.

Extensive living roofs need little maintenance and are a good fit for small extensions that don’t offer much structural support.  The ideal plants for them are hardy and typically grow on cliffs or among rocks.

A strong underlying structure is a requirement for semi-extensive living roofs.  Because of their deeper soil level, it’s possible to choose a greater number of plants to grow. 

The largest gardens are intensive living roofs. These gardens require supporting structures that are both bigger and stronger than those found in most domestic buildings in order to grow a full array of plants and trees.

How does a roof garden benefit the environment?

There are a surprising number of benefits to the environment from roof gardening.  Urban Roof Gardens provides details on the most important.

Green open spaces.  Growing a roof garden creates green open spaces.  To a degree, it offsets high-density development in urban areas.

Rainwater retention and management.  A green roof can absorb up to 75 percent of a rainfall.  This in turn significantly cuts runoff and the chances of flash floods.

Diverse habitats.  A roof garden can become a habitat for native birds and insects, particularly when it contains indigenous flora.

Modification of urban micro-climates.  Most cities contain pockets of urban heat because of huge amounts of concrete and asphalt.  Due to transpiration, plants directly cool the air.  During the hottest months, they can dramatically reduce the surface temperature of a roof.

Air quality improvement. 

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