Rooftop planting is getting popular day by day. We know that environmental quality in cities is not so good due to multiple reasons. Green areas and trees are destroyed to make way for buildings and houses. Without these green spaces, cities or towns will face difficulty in fighting pollution and global warming. Moreover, they will be helpless in reducing the urban heat island process and minimizes air or noise pollution. As a result, rooftop design ideas are knowledge that we must gather to protect the environment and us.
The requirement to control the adverse impacts of development forces landscape architects, new builders, and urban planners to develop solutions. They need answers to preserve the average quality of the environment. And one of the essential solutions to counter the environmental issues is rooftop planting.
A roof garden is particularly a garden on the rooftop of a building, artificial green spaces on the topmost building areas. With the help of various plants, these green areas help improve a place’s beauty and charm.
In this article, designLab will discuss different rooftop design ideas and answer your most awaited questions. So, let’s begin!
What is Roof Top Garden?
A rooftop garden is any vegetation constructed on the roof of a building. Besides the decorative advantage, it offers architectural enhancement, recreational opportunities, temperature control, and habitats for wildlife and food.
The technique of cultivating plants on the rooftop is rooftop planting. It is typically done with the help of a container garden, aeroponics, hydroponic or green roof. You can also produce additional platforms called “aero-bridges” between high-rise buildings beside the roof space.
Importance of Rooftop Planting
Rooftop planting is a unique and enjoyable activity. You may develop your fruits plus vegetables on your rooftops without utilizing any damaging chemicals, herbicides, and pesticides.
Restaurants, homes, and local supermarkets are seeking natural plus chemical-free fruits and vegetables. Thus, build a small yet impressive rooftop garden. This small garden can produce fruits and vegetables even for sale and gives you economic benefits.
Fresh vegetables and fruits contain more essential vitamins and minerals. Thus do not use those fruits and vegetables present in the supermarket a couple of times. Instead of importing green veggies and fruits from distant lands, you may develop them on your rooftop.
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Types of Roof Garden
The rooftop has enormous benefits that are why more and more people are getting interested in this field. So, they should know about the types of roof gardens for planting their beautiful rooftop garden. Following are the three basic types of rooftop gardens;
1. Extensive roof gardens
Extensive roof gardens need a small layer of soil substrate. So, it is simple and easy to maintain. This unique garden is perfect for garage, roof, or garage other particular buildings around your home. Similarly, it is cost-effective and comprises small aesthetical value.
The reason is that the type of vegetation growing on this is much tiny. Lichen or moss is suitable for the foliage for the extensive roof gardens.
Lichen readily develops on surfaces like metal, plastic, and glass. Besides, moss is a small plant that needs less nutrition to survive and rich soil humidity for its development. Moreover, this specific garden is highly reasonable in vegetation kind and construction or perfect for a humid environment.
2. Semi-intensive roof gardens
Semi-intensive roof gardens need a deeper soil layer increasing the diversity of plant species. Stable construction is necessary for these kinds of gardens because of vegetation and water retainment. We can do vegetation with the particular species of the Sedum genus.
Because they are succulent and do not require frequent watering, vegetation needs additional watering during extended dry periods. A wildflower that does not need maintenance is developed quickly in these types of roof gardens.
3. Intensive roof gardens
We can plant vegetation like a backyard garden such as flowers, trees, shrubs, and many park elements in the intensive roof gardens. But, this type of roof garden needs large, stable construction. So, the majority of the buildings are not suitable for the intensive roof garden. Additionally, particular maintenance requires, it also demands special care during irrigation.
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Different layers to Build a Rooftop Garden.
There are several steps and a perfect guide to building a rooftop garden in your place. Follow these steps and develop your rooftop garden.
1. Waterproofing Layer
The roof should be waterproof and durable for growing your favorite plants on it. The thing is, whether you grow plants on the container, raised beds, or on the roof itself, waterproofing of your roof is the most important thing to note. The purpose is this waterproofing will protect the top from leaking.
2. Insulation Layer
The insulation layer may make your rooftop garden resistant to intense light, humidity, and temperature fluctuation. Furthermore, it offers it particular and significant mechanical strength. The insulation layer is prepared mainly from XPS extruded polystyrene board or polyurethane foam.
PIR panel is excellent and beneficial as a layer of insulation on the roof. The fact is PIR panel has significant grooves and milled edge connections allowing rainwater to pass to the drainage system easily.
3. Drainage Layer
The drainage layer is utilized to instantly discharge the rainwater from the vegetation layer into the drainage system and collect additional water. So, you need a perfect drainage layer for the rooftop planting purpose.
4. Geotextile Layer
This particular layer is used to part away the drainage layer and plants growing in soil. The geotextile layer also stops the depositing of dirt and other irritating particles that blocks the drainage system.
This layer even counteracts the water reduction instantly from the vegetation layer by circulating the humidity.
5. The vegetation Layer
This particular layer means the soil, the surface where you will develop plants and vegetables. Soil should have good air circulation, and it must be water permeable.
Usually, plants need fertile and slightly acidic soil, combining hummus, garden soil, compost, and essential organic matter. The thickness of the earth relies on the kinds of plants you will develop in it.
Roof Top Design Ideas
The cross-sections of roof gardens usually start with an insulation layer at the bottom. It also begins with a waterproof membrane for getting rid of leakages from the building. We can use a root barrier to stop the penetration of the root through the waterproof membrane. A waterproof membrane tolerating the impacts of acids released from some plant roots should be used.
A drainage layer prepared from lightweight plastics, clay, or gravel is the next. Besides regulating the water level, this layer also aerates the developing media. Drainage points should be accessible from the top.
The roof system may cover the entire roof. In particular designs, the drainage layer also stores water for later usage by the plants. Geotextile or filter mats above the drainage layer allow water to soak through and stop fine soil particle erosion.
Ultimately, the top layers are made up of a wind blanket, plants, plus growing media. The growing media is light in weight and aids in drainage while giving nutrients to the plants. The wind blankets are utilized to hold the developing media in place until the roots of the plants are produced.
Some Rooftop Planting Products that You Need to Buy:
Rustic Wood and Metal Planters with Stands
This product is made from plywood, fir wood, and iron. It has rectangular brown bodies with gray accents. Every part has four bare legs in a black finish, and it mixes with rustic-themed settings. It’s wide-mouth plus the deep location is perfect for housing various plant and floral arrangements.
Shop Deco 79 43690 Rustic Wood and Metal Planters with Stands, 12″ W x 19″ H, Gray, Black, Brown from here!
Planter with Stand, White/Black
It is a perfect addition to the advanced and minimalist garden. It has a rounded base that requires lesser space than the typical boxed planter. With Matte white shade, it gives a simple yet neat touch. Its finish is off white and black Material. So, you do not waste your time and buy this highly beneficial planter with a stand.
Shop Deco 79 36751 Planter with Stand, White/Black from here!
Fairy String Lights Decor for Garden Lawn
These advanced and high-class power-saving outdoor fairy lights are 34 feet long, comprising 90 translucent globe lights. This system saves more energy than traditional lights.
Shop Cosumina 33 FT, 80 LED Fairy String, Lights Decor for Outdoor Party
Field Guide to Rooftop Planting: How to Grow Plants
In this important book, author Kevin Espiritu offers the fundamentals of growing plants. It includes tips on selecting the proper urban gardening technique and troubleshooting the most usual issues you will encounter.
If you imagine it is impossible to develop your food, you do not have a large yard. The main point to succeeding as the rooftop gardener is to select the technique that makes sense for your extraordinary living situation. Then it gives your plants what they require for survival. Kevin, the author of this beneficial gardening goof, helps you perfectly build a rooftop garden.
But he does not give only a simple technique. He even offers in-depth garden plans, from unique DIY projects and intensive hydroponic systems. Rooftop planting has been an outstanding, growing, and significant movement in recent times. This book has given you a complete road map of what you can do to construct your garden in the personal space of your home.
Rooftop planting featured include:
- Indoor Edibles
- Balconies and Rooftops
- Container Gardening
- Raised Beds
- Hydroponics
FAQS about Rooftop Design Ideas
1. How can the weight be reduced?
Fiberglass or metal planters are typically pretty lightweight to start with. Custom planter is heavier and can be organized with a false bottom to reduce the total amount of soil required to fill them. Besides, porcelain or wood decking is typically lighter weight than stones or concretes. So, you can use them instead of others for good benefits.
2. What are things needed for a rooftop garden?
An outdoor faucet is required for rooftop planting. A unique and automated drip irrigation system typically be used for around $ 1,000 to 2,000.
It will be unique and enormous time-saving, and aid in extending the longevity and well-being of the plants. The rooftop garden may pay for itself within six months by significantly minimizing the requirement for replacement plantings. The electrical outlets are beneficial to have if you plan to install low-voltage and commercially stable landscape lighting.
3. How can views be handled for good and bad purposes?
You can typically prevent unattractive views of neighboring rooftops or walls utilizing plantings like tall evergreens. You can also use fencing and keep the more beautiful views open by utilizing lower plantings in those areas.
4. What kinds of plants are best suitable for rooftop design ideas?
For the rooftop design ideas, you cannot even count because there are several designs. Gardening on the rooftop can be likened to gardening on top of a mountain. We tend to select more bottom-heavy plants than top-heavy to help avoid having them get blown over in high winds.
Most evergreens function well for this purpose, and even multi-stem or weeping trees. You can also struggle to avoid plants having big leaves, like mango plants. This will straightly shred up these large leaves plants through the wind.
Ultimately, we suggest measuring the total strength of sunlight hours space gets per day to determine whether you must utilize plants for full to get rid of the sun’s rays; you can also get mostly shade. Get more detailed for the types of plants that are suitable for a rooftop garden here.
5. What important points and features can be incorporated into a rooftop planting?
There are some significant and special rules for each city that must be looked into for fire pits and grills. The only fire pits and grills permitted in big cities are charcoal, electric or dedicated gas lines. People typically use a combination of high-quality voltage wall sconce lighting and low-quality voltage landscape lighting.
Propane tanks are not used for this purpose. We can do it in the planters for the most relaxing effect.
For shades, experts suggest an umbrella, or pergola, depending on the budget of the customer. Jacuzzis are typically permitted as long as they are not too heavy for that specific roof. The tricky thing with a Jacuzzi generally is getting it to the roof. We require a crane for this purpose, but the use of a crane is a pricy thing.
Conclusion
Rooftop planting has become a trend, and most people want a small garden on their roof area. There are lots of economic, ecological, environmental, and social benefits of rooftop planting. Like it can help to protect us from pollution, global warming and many more. Moreover, we will get a beautiful view whenever we visit the roof.
So, this rooftop design ideas guide is mainly made for you, and you will love to build your garden on the roof. So, do not waste a single moment and, after reading this guide, firmly decide to go for rooftop planting. Happy planting!