People living in the urban areas consider rooftop gardens as additions that are not only ecofriendly but attractive. If the place you live lack a yard, you can consider resorting to a rooftop garden which you use to grow decorative trees and grasses, flowers and edible vegetation like the ECO Roof & Solar.
The rooftop garden project will commence after you have correctly prepared your roof. The loading capacity of your roof is one that you should evaluate. A structural engineer is the person best placed to provide guidance in this regard. The engineer you settle for must have the requisite permits that allow him to undertake business locally.
You should seek to find out the relevant building codes that operate in your area before you embark on your rooftop garden project. Information will be available to you regarding the applicable restrictions when making the gardens. Your landlord must give you approval to perform the work if you are a tenant.
You must carefully monitor the exposure of sun on the building where you are doing the project. This is vital as the vegetation you are planting will need sufficient sunlight. Note the patterns of the sunlight during a duration of 1-2 weeks. This ensures that the sunlight on your roof is not obstructed by other buildings.
Before you begin working on your rooftop garden, it is important to adequately plan for the exposure of wind. You will find that the wind on the rooftop has greater force than the one on the ground. Strong winds can easily damage or kill your plants and you should consider using structural windbreakers to handle the challenge.
Having the map of the rooftop garden you are contemplating on a graph paper is important as it assists to plan the project properly. What you will include in the design is position of the plants and furniture. In the event you need to make some alterations, you can return to the map and redesign.
It is recommended to look for plants that are drought resistant and which can withstand heat that you plan to grow on your rooftop garden. Such plants will be ideal due to the intense winds they are subjected to. Watering the plants consistently is advisable.
The plants that are suitable to grow in your rooftop garden are the ones that are native to your locality. Native fauna, butterflies and birds will be attracted to such plants. The plants will adjust easily to the local climate as opposed to the ones that come from outside the area. You can seek guidance from your local nursery as to the suitable plants to go for.