Private Garden – Green Roof
This project began with a new potting shed. I felt that it would be structurally up to the job of supporting an extensive green roof. We added a timber tray which we lined with pond liner, and a drainage layer which also acted as a filter, ensuring that the growing medium was not washed away. The run-off fed into a gutter which in turn fed into the water butt. We added sedum mats with 5 different species and backfilled the gaps with growing media. Finally, the roof was edged with river-washed pebbles.
We later relocated the green roof, including all layers, from the potting shed to the pergola which I designed to accommodate the roof at the same angle as the shed. We covered the shed with corrugated Perspex to let more light in. The sedum mats had to be cut up due to their weight and we re-laid these, filling the gaps with compost into which we planted chives.
Over time the turf has grown and spaces have been filled with other plants which have since seeded themselves. Blackbirds like to sunbathe there and we had a nesting wood pigeon one year.
Garden Photos
This garden was always a work in progress due to financial constraints, so many of the improvements were ad hoc. Over the years the lawn became smaller (to the horror of my children) as I made way for fruit and vegetables which also had to compete with space for my expanding collection of plants, particularly perennials. Just as I had a design put together and enough money to carry out the work, I decided to move to Penrith.
