Dead space, how would I go about a living roof?

4390evans

On the roof of my kitchen there is nothing, I'm wanting to put some creeping plants in there that will be good for bee's (please send me suggestions, I thought creeping thyme?).

But I was wondering what I would do to go about creating a living roof? What would I put down to protect the roof itself, would I have to build a frame?

If anyone has any knowledge of this please let me know, pro's and con's welcome. I will get a pic on of the space asap as its quite large and flat.

thanks guys.  

BeccaT

Hi, not sure on the how but we had a green roof at my last place of work and there was a sedum rupestre 'angelina'  that hung down about 6 to 8" over the side and looked great through all seasons. Yellow flowers in the summer for the bee's and the foliage turns orange and red in the winter. I've used creeping thyme before between pavers and most varieties tend to get woody, even with regular trimming after flowering.

treehugger80

make sure its a sloping roof, even the slightest incline is best so excess water drains off,

then check if the roof can support it structurally, I've seen several sheds collapse under the weight of a heavy rain downpour and a poorly planted living roof.

get your planting material right, it needs to be light, airy and well draining - a decent amount of perlite works well (my dad got hold of hydroponic beads which are fantastic) though perlite does wash off readily until the plants get established.

choose plants carefully - you don't want anything with a deep root, so sedums, alpines, some herbs, and annual (and some smaller perennial) wildflowers.

finally remember maintenance, a building near my allotment had a wildflower roof put on, but every year someone has to harness up and go cut it with a lawn mower, and then rake all the cuttings off the roof! rather them than me as its a four story building!!