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Roof gardens are built for both their aesthetic and their functional values. Roof gardens can provide many things, including architectural enhancement, hydrological benefits, food and temperature control. In some instances they can even be wildlife habitats. When you plant a roof garden there is the potential for many advantages. It can cool the room below it, especially during a hot day. It can provide insulation from the cold during the winter. To retain water from evaporating, roof gardens are required in Germany. It will prevent flash floods from occurring. There are three basic types of roof gardens. The main differences among the three are marked by the maintenance they require, the depth of the soil, and the type of plants that can be supported by the roof.

Extensive Roof Garden

Due to the shallow soil, this type of roof garden is easiest to maintain. Because they are lightweight, extensive roof gardens work wonderfully on top of garages, sheds and other small home extensions. Although it’s easy to maintain this type of roof garden, it has the least aesthetic value, and the number of plants that can grow on it is quite limited. Lichens and mosses are prime examples of plants that thrive in an extensive roof garden. Lichens are symbiotic organisms that can colonize on surfaces such as glass, metal and plastic. Small green plants, mosses require few nutrients to survive. They cling on stone and walls and, can live off of rainwater alone.

Semi-Extensive Roof Garden

A greater variety of plants can be supported by these types of roof gardens because they have deper soil. These types, therefore, are more easily decorated than extensive roof gardens. Due to the heavier soil, semi-extensive roof gardens must be supported by stronger structures. Sedums, succulents that store water in their tissues, are ideal for this garden type. Although they can die or turn patchy during times of drought without proper care, sedums do not require watering every day. Wildflowers that don’t need any maintenance are also ideal for semi-extensive roof gardens.

Intensive Roof Garden

Because they can support elaborate arrangements as well as trees, intensive roof gardens require large, sturdy structures, Concrete buildings and on top of roof decks are the most common places for intensive roof gardens to be installed since most single-home dwellings prove unsuitable for such projects. As long as the building’s structure can support the weight, there are no limitations regarding what you can plant in an intensive roof garden.

About the author: Megan Barlow helps others learn how to live greener and more environmentally friendly lives. Learn more about sustainable living at her blog on Green Gadgets.

This article was first posted at 3 Types of Roof Gardens.