As years go, this probably wasn't the best for establishing an extensive green roof - too dry by half, and I know I am anthropomorphising but the crows and pigeons seemed to take a vindictive joy in pulling out my plug plants and spreading them around the garden. Nevertheless, things have changed a lot since I first planted it up back in March. It's useful to look back and remember the bare expanse of soil which is now, well, still a bit patchy but there's a lot more green to be seen.
Yesterday I planted out the sedums I'd been growing from seed (using T&M rock garden mixed), and was pleased to see that some of the sedums and sempervivums I planted earlier in the year have established really well. You can also see in the picture to the right some surplus-to requirements Verbascum 'Silver Lining' that I planted up there in some of the deeper areas as an experiment. I am still expecting it to look rather bare in the winter when all the annual wildflowers die back, but I know they've been self-seeding (with a bit of help from me) so there should be a great new flush of grwoth in the spring.
There are some odd things up there - for instance, loads of amaranth* in red and greeny-yellow which I think must have come from one of the rather panic-bought packs of 'meadow mix' I bought when things were looking much barer. There's also some pink cosmos (ditto) and lots of alyssum. Some grasses are getting established (which as Kate Bradbury has pointed out on her recent post on the Guardian gardening blog, are an important thing to include). I've removed some things - fat hen in abundance, couch grass and a few ragwort-type things, but at the moment until the bareness is completly gone, I am letting things take their course.
One of the strange things about the roof as a "garden" is that it's only really visible from my bedroom window, although I do rather like the little line of plant silhouettes you get when looking up at the roof from the side passageway - just visible in this shot.
There's a full set of photos on Flickr. I would love to be able to identify everything, so do take a look: for instance, what's this little pink flower, above - anyone? My plants for next year are not very strategic - I think it's going to take at least another year to settle down. I'd like more grasses, in the Briza media vein, but would welcome any other suggestions - preferably stuff I can grow from seed.
*I'd like to harvest the amaranth grains - any advice on the best method would be welcome!
Hi Jane,
I hope you’re well, we haven’t spoken for a bit but I was the PR blogger that wrote about your blog a while back when I did the top gardening bloggers in the UK http://www.deaddinosaur.co.uk/social-media/the-uks-top-20-gardening-blogs/. Obviously, I’m a big fan of your blog as you can tell but I am contacting you about something a little bit different today.
I have dropped you a line because I thought something I am working on for a client might be of interest and I would genuinely love to hear your thoughts on this. I have helped my client (The University of Leeds) to create a virtual garden online in Facebook called The Messy Garden, it’s an application which will sit within this page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gardening-for-Champions/392268250818552
The idea for the Messy Garden is for people to share their best sustainable gardening tips, so other gardeners can use them in their gardens. People can share and rate the best tips .
This virtual garden is part of a much wider campaign which aims to champion the many benefits a garden can provide to gardeners, local communities and the wider environment. Research suggests that all gardeners should have a messy corner in their gardens in order to make a significant contribution to their ecosystem. It is the most effective way to give bugs a boost and improve pollination in your garden apparently.
I love this post - as it is exactly the type of stuff we are highlighting. We want more people to save water and look to use green roofs etc.
Every tip on the app provides keen gardeners with the opportunity to get the most out of their plot. It would be great if you would take the time out to share your best/favourite gardening tip with the rest of the world as I think you are the real expert. We are just trying to get people to share their tips.
If you have any questions feel free to get in touch with me.
All the best,
Chris
Posted by: A Facebook User | May 01, 2012 at 04:14 PM
Hi Chris, this sounds interesting, can you send me an email about it please?
thanks
jane
Posted by: Jane Perrone | June 26, 2012 at 02:06 PM