Roof gardens continue to rise in popularity. They are installed most often in urban areas where planting space is limited. Green roofs keep buildings cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Rainfall is filtered through the plants before entering the sewer system. This process helps keep air and water clean. Residential gardeners also install roof gardens on their homes and out buildings.

Creating a roof garden can be very beneficial. Not only can it provide a nice landscape, it can also help raise the value of your home. When creating one, check the foundation of your building. Check for waterproofing, water drainage, and weighing ability. Always make sure that your roof can hold the weight that you will put on top of your roof.

When creating flooring for your roof garden, use lighter pavers, timbers, and stones that cannot be weighed down. Wood chips and crushed gravel is a great option for lighter flooring on your roof garden.

The roof or the terrace should be sloped and have an effective drainage system. One has to make sure that there is no leakage of water while planning a roof garden. The first consideration when installing a roof garden is the roof itself.  Your roof must be reasonably flat and have some kind of access.  After all, you can’t enjoy your garden if you have to climb a ladder every time you want to look at it.  It must also be capable of supporting a heavier-than-normal load.  Wet soil can weigh more than eighty pounds per square foot.  If your roof can’t support this much weight, you can still have a roof garden, but you’ll have to settle for gardening only in containers, or structurally altering your home.

If your roof passes these first three criteria, next you’ll need to be sure it has a waterproof membrane.  Otherwise, you could end up with a very wet ceiling in your home!  Two of the most commonly-used waterproofing materials are thermoplastic sheeting and rubberized asphalt.  Keep in mind that you will want an extremely durable membrane, so that you don’t have to dig up your entire garden to replace it in a few years.

Once you’ve determined that your roof is capable of sustaining a garden, you’ll need to consider your climate.  If you’re in an urban area with many tall buildings, your building may be partially or mostly shaded for a good part of the day.  You’ll need to consider this when choosing plants.  If your roof is in direct sunlight for much of the day, it may be much hotter up there than on the ground.  This can also be very drying for the plants that you choose, as can the higher winds that are prevalent among rooftop gardens.  When making your garden plans, consider the many plants that are drought-tolerant as they will do well when planted on roofs.

Now that you know what kind of plants you need to plant, think about what kind of garden design you’d like to have.  It is necessary to choose the plants with shallow root system which will not penetrate the roof floor in long run. At the same time, it is also advisable to grow such plants that flower at various periods of year and are very easily be maintained at roof top.

Any kind of garden that can be planted on the ground can usually be a roof garden, just reduced in size.  Container gardens can be particularly appropriate.  If you need some gardening ideas, purchase a book on small-space gardens.  Most of these can be planted on roofs, also.  There are also many books which deal specifically with green roofs.

When planting your roof garden, you’ll need to pay special attention to the materials that you use.  Plastic pots are lighter than clay or terra cotta.  If you want to use large rocks in your garden designs and landscapes, you’ll need to use those which are made of a fiberglass composite, rather than the real thing.  In general, try to use lightweight materials to reduce the strain on your roof.

Now that you’ve designed your perfect rooftop garden, get busy planting and have fun!