We took advantage of the lovely weather last week and went to Glenveagh National Park to enjoy the fabulous gardens there. The information centre has a wonderful roof covering which has been planted to blend perfectly into the countryside. The plants have been chosen well to complement the local flora, and from a distance the place is practically invisible. Included are plants which have obviously self seeded, like gorse, which adds to the naturalised effect. These sorts of roofs have to be well reinforced, as the weight of them is considerable once the soil and plants are put on. The weight increases too when it is wet. With good reinforcement, there is no reason why we cannot all have green roofs on our houses and the peninsula would be a more attractive place because of it although Inishowen might see a jump in their goat population in order to keep these roofs looking neat and tidy!! The council offices in Letterkenny are leading this natural roof revolution with their roof made from the alpine plant called Sedum.
SEDUMS-STONECROP.
Sedums are remarkably resilient plants and will survive most conditions except total waterlogging. I had one growing in a hole in a building brick for years. It survived although it was always on the small size.
There are lots of different sedums and if you were to cover the roof with them it would be wise to mix different types. This will hedge your bets if disease or adverse weather strikes, as some will be more tolerant of conditions than others.
SEDUMS-STONECROP.
Sedums are remarkably resilient plants and will survive most conditions except total waterlogging. I had one growing in a hole in a building brick for years. It survived although it was always on the small size.
There are lots of different sedums and if you were to cover the roof with them it would be wise to mix different types. This will hedge your bets if disease or adverse weather strikes, as some will be more tolerant of conditions than others.
To cover a roof you will need hundreds of plants. The recommended amount of plants is around 25 per metre squared. If you were to buy them from a garden centre you would be looking at the roof costing more than the rest of the house. There is a company in England that will sell you mats of sedums already grown and ready to put into place. These mats can cost about €40 per square metre. They are also very useful for dry slopes. The mats will give a thick covering to protect against weed infestation. The cost is high unless you grow them yourself. Sedums are really easy to propagate. The leaves of the plant come off easily and if they are put onto soil or compost they will root in no time at all. This method of propagation mirrors what happens to the plant in nature as animals knock the leaves off when they walk past them. . They also grow from seed but this is a far slower method of propagation
Horticultural.
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