Garden Design IdeasGarden Ideas, Photos and Tips for Gardening at Home
It is unmanageable to pinpoint when the living cap spring from eco - phantasy to eco - solvent — there have been startling and innovative green roofs all across the country and in Europe apparently forever . But in my head , engineering and design enamour up with the dream in 2008 when a wholesale marvel of aboriginal plants , wild flower , and engineering was establish atop San Francisco ’s California Academy of Sciences . Since then , there ’s been an inspiring genesis of eco - savvy , design - forward residential greenish roofs — from cactus garden to rainfall forest , topping everything from chicken coop to full - muff rest home .
In Virginia , Norfolk Botanical Garden ’s green ceiling uses sedum , delosperma , and sempervivum . ( Photo by : Rob Cardillo )
Green ceiling have become instinctive fits for many public buildings as well , thanks to large - scale environmental and financial benefits such as vitality efficiency , violent storm - water management , sound insularism , and the ontogeny of habitats for bird and other urban wight . Most of these projects , like the Academy ’s , are standard “ extended ” green cap as now defined : vegetation growing in a shallow ( 3- to 6 - inch ) stratum of lightweight territory medium , contain in a special assembly organisation over a waterproof tissue layer . A small residential cap may accomplish some of the same environmental goals , but full financial retribution is unlikely at least in the near hereafter ; these projection are more about doing goodness for the surround , sweetheart , and horticultural interest . Yet with turn down fiscal expectations comes more design freedom , and a grow turn of residential green roofs showing plant surprise , innovation , and a delightful sense of experiment and fun .
In Phoenix , for instance , landscape designer Steve Martino took a playfully literal approach , lay prickly pear pads like shingles on 3 inch of aboriginal granite dirt on a low , flat , reinforced cap . And in the forest of Washington ’s Olympic Peninsula , architect Roy Hellwig of Sequim also gave local natives a endeavor . Turning away from typical earth - bound plants , he insure his flat torch - down roof with moss , lichens , and ferns mostly pile up from his forest belongings ; these are largely epiphytic plant ( line plants ) , which do n’t want stain . Thus the lightweight life roof ask minimum alimony and calculate as connect with the earth as the Hobbits ’ home in The Lord of the Rings . For those who trust a similar look , Hellwig has make grow an easy - to - instal mat containing a pre - cultivated epiphytic ecosystem that can adhere to most any roof or rampart . presently he ’s at workplace on a similar system suited for subtropical climates .
A green roof atop a house in Mill Valley , California , by McGlashan Architecture . ( Photo by : Barbara Ries )
Another approaching designers take is to mix up the works pallette on roofs . In Sonoma County , California , Kevin Falkerson and Kerrie Lee Cole , the design - and - figure squad at Symbios , create one - of - a - kind “ artisan ” roofs that display a surprising diverseness of plants . The 3,300 - straight - foot roof of the house they call Wings of Earth use nine species ofsedumwith stress of butterfly stroke - attracting , recurrent genus Dianthus and phlox — all visible from the upper floors of the house .
As a model for green roof pattern , the American Society of Landscape Architects commissioned Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates to produce a rootop research garden atop its Washington , D.C. , headquarters . The residential - size , 3,000 - square - foot showing let in two noble-minded wave . One has low plant ( in the main sedums ) making use of minimal grease deepness ; the other include a premix of sedum with grandiloquent , drouth - resistant grasses and perennial requiring a rich grime base . After six years , mensurable issue are in : The roof plantings retained 77 percent of rain that fell during the first data - collecting full point , and temperature have been as much as an astounding 59 degree lowly than conventional mordant roofs on neighboring buildings .
particular from a roof with mixed planting . ( Photo by : Steve Martino )
While do - it - yourself kit have pip the grocery , developing a sustainable green ceiling usually calls for a landscape designer or graphic designer specialise in the field — someone who know the morphological demands , forum systems , drainage , local precondition , plants , and maintenance .
The cost of a green roof is roughly two to four times that of a conventional cap . Government agencies began propose financial incentives to defray costs of residential green roof — showery Portland , Oregon , has a celebrated one . To amend its storm - water direction , the metropolis ’s “ eco - roof bonus ” program monetary fund up to $ 5 per square foot of a project .
A playhouse in North London . ( picture by : Marianne Majerus )
To search the possibilities of green ceiling , Snodgrass suggests lead off with a doghouse or birdhouse . ( Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania has offered just such a course . ) “ Starting with a birdhouse is a good first step to getting your feet wet and understanding the limits — and opportunities — of growing plants in such a shallow root space , ” he says . And then , there ’s no topographic point to go but up . ?
Green Roof ResourcesMost information on fleeceable ceiling is aimed at grownup building , but a few strong residential resources exist .
Christian Bible : First grabSmall Green Roofs : Low - Tech Options for Greener Livingby Nigel Dunnett , Dusty Gedge , John Little , and Ed Snodgrass , mostly for its overview and doable examples . Along with Linda McIntyre , Snodgrass also contribute a useful chapter on green roofs to Thomas Christopher ’s splendidThe New American Landscape .
On the vane : Greenroofs.orgis a database of advice , research , material , courses , and a directory of professional designers and installers . Snodgrass ’ web site , greenroofplants.com , includes helpful advice , especially on plant , along with a art gallery of his project .
The American Society of Landscape Architects provides wide record of its observational greenish cap atasla.org . Athydrotechusa.com , observe the systems the California Academy of Sciences and other major living cap use .
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To order one of Roy Hellwig ’s ready - to - put in , pre - cultivated roof mats , call or shoot the breeze his Archiphyte site ( 360/582 - 1094;archiphytellc.com).Firms that make living roof admit Symbios ( 707/874 - 9015;symbiosdesign.com ) in Sonoma , California , McGlashan Architecture(510/549 - 2102;mcglashanarchitecture.com ) in Berkeley , California , and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates ( mvvainc.com ) , with power in Brooklyn , New York , and Cambridge , Massachusetts .
