19 Nov 10 Things To Consider While Planning A Roof Garden

Are you planning to have a garden on the roof of your house? This idea may fill you with excitement but it is something that should not be done in haste. As you meet experts who specialise in this kind of work like we here at Vista Concepts, a leading supplier of green roof systems in Australia, you will discover that there are plenty of things that you must take into account when you decide to start a garden on your roof.

Below, we have talked about 10 key things to consider while planning a roof garden:

• Approval

No matter where you live, you will probably need to get approval from the concerned authorities before you get a garden built on your roof. You never know as there could be council restrictions and building regulations that may act as impediments. However, if you are planning a balcony garden, things could be a little easier.

• Weight and strength of your roof

The weight of your roof will be paramount. Even if you go for the shallowest garden bed, it will be heavy enough to exert a good amount of pressure on your roof. Therefore, before going for a roof garden, it’s imperative that you get the weight-bearing capacity of your roof checked by a qualified professional. Your roof in fact may require alterations if it is not capable enough of withstanding the extra weight of plants and substrate. Depending on your roof’s dimensions and its strength, you will be able to go for an intensive or an extensive roof garden. While an extensive green roof is all about some vegetation and soil, an intensive one accommodates several other things like wider variety of plants, furniture etc.

• Shade

It’s a roof garden after all; so, there’s no escaping the sunlight. So, you will need to plan the shading in such a way that it offers respite from the sun to your plants and to you too when sun protection becomes important. Sun is not the only source of heat, which can also originate from your own roof and the nearby buildings. So, you really need to be wise vis-à-vis your shading positions.

• Wind

A roof is one section of your house that is really exposed to the elements and it will be foolish on your part if you try to block wind as a powerful gust can blow away a windbreak no matter how strong it is. Instead, you can try and upset wind flow by using a lattice or a trellis.

• Access

You have to figure out how you are going to let all the materials and supplies reach your roof as your garden starts being built and how you will be accessing your rooftop garden later on. You can use your attic window or a ladder but the latter will probably make a lot of people reluctant to visit your garden.

• Electrical wiring

Electricity is not mandatory in the case of a rooftop garden but if you have a power outlet that is waterproof, it will come in handy when you are to use gardening equipment and power tools. If you wish to create some lighting and enjoy your time under the stars, you can’t do the same without a power outlet.

• Irrigation

It is a given that you will need to water your plants regularly. Imagine what kind of a hassle carrying buckets of water on a ladder is going to be. Why not have something that performs this task automatically? Installing a water drum and going for drip irrigation will surely spare you the trouble of dragging a hose pipe to water your plants.

• Drainage

Inadequate drainage often proves to be the bane of places where water is used regularly. So, when you have a roof garden, you must ensure that you have a proper drainage too to get rid of excess water sans any hassle. If this water can be stored and reused, you will be proud of not wasting a most precious natural resource.

• Waterproofing

Drainage alone may not suffice and to take another protective step, you can go for proper waterproofing. To prevent water seepage, some kind of treatment will be required. Your waterproofing system needs to be root-proof and if it is synthetic and not organic, it will resist penetration by plant roots.

• Storage

The paraphernalia that gardening necessitates is common knowledge. You need fertiliser, forks, spades, gloves, compost, bucket, hose pipe and what not. So, if your rooftop furniture has smart storage to accommodate all these things, you are going to enjoy great convenience.

As mentioned earlier, if you live down under, Vista Concepts, one of the leading Roof Garden Suppliers in Australia, can ably fulfil your need for a roof garden and we deal in other similar things too such as vertical garden, moss wall, trellis wall, etc. No matter whether you need roof gardens in Melbourne, Sydney, or Brisbane, you will get to enjoy free shipping from us. So what are you waiting for? Give us a chance to make a green addition to your house and we will be more than happy to oblige you.