People are talking about... Green Roofs

Ben Flanner at Brooklyn Grange

They're popping up all over the place, from New York to Los Angeles, and no, Im not talking about cupcakes.  It's Green Roofs!

The green roof movement is of course, not new.  Germany is the leader, where about 10% of roofs are green.  They have been growing "up" for the past 50 years and some parts of Germany require green roofs on all new buildings.

But it seems like the movement has legs in the States, and it's running!

Green roofs, according to The New York Times writer Tina Rosenberg, can help solve so many serious environmental issues.

A green roof on a NYC co-op

• "Urban Heat Island." For anyone who has ever lived in a city, this needs no explaining, the temperature can sometime be as much as 7 degrees warmer, Rosenberg says, and green roofs can help lower the heat index.  
• "Scrub the air." One sq meter can absorb all the emissions from a car being driven 12,000 miles a year, said Amy Norquist, chief executive of Greensulate.
• "Water Run-off." It can take only 20 minutes of rainfall to start water from toilets flowing into Brooklyn’s waterways, Rosenberg reports.  And, the water can makes us sick.
• "Habitats." Green roofs can provide the plants that animals, birds and bees need when parks are far apart.

The movement is attracting all types of companies interested in making a difference, from hydroponic growers to vertical walls and soil amendments like biochar. In fact, Brooklyn Grange is planning to put Soil Reef biochar on 1/2 acre of their rooftop in Brooklyn. 

Start small... with a green doghouse roof!

The benefits of Soil Reef are endless, conserving water and nutrients, growing healthier, bigger plants and putting carbon back in the soil, yet, the addition of biochar to greenroof soil has even greater benefits.  According to the Journal of Environmental Pollution, it has been proven to improve both runoff water quality and retention.

The future of green roofs is bright- look into installing one today. 

Katie @KatieGMG
http://www.gardenmediagroup.com

Trendy Roofs!

Earth Day. The chatter, buzz, blogs, TV segments, Twitter and oh, so many green celebs praising and promoting the "green" message is building. All welcome news!

The message that we're all caretakers of the earth and gardening with a purpose is gaining steam, and for many, becoming an ingrained life-style.

From planting with natives, composting, and growing water wise plants, to vertical gardens and sharing your garden harvest with neighbors, friends and family, the move to connect with nature (biophilia) in this techno-crazed world, is BACK!

For urbanites craving the soothing connectivity with plants and wildlife, rooftop gardens let you get your hands dirty and dig in the earth and plant something.

Plus, the sheer bliss of relaxing surrounded by ornamental plants, flowers and yes, containers full of colorful, fragrant herbs- and plucking ripe tomatoes and fresh lettuce and basil for a fresh salad, satisfies even the crustiest of curmudgeons.

C'mon- it's hard to say, "bah, humbug" - with a fresh cherry tomato you grew stuffed in your mouth.

But not all roof tops are created equal.

Whereas rooftop gardens are generally for aesthetics, entertaining, and growing your own produce, green roofs on buildings are primarily built for more utilitarian purposes: they cover a larger space and help provide a barrier to heat and solar radiation and reduce rain run-off.

Panels used to support the plants vary in depth but with an eye toward weight, and need to be more tolerant to heat and changeable weather conditions.

It's nice to see that buildings in crowded urban cities and towns are slowly getting onboard to help "green" their cities by adding a green roof to cool things down and help give back to Mother Nature. Ah, now that's an Earth Day message we can all get behind!

~Lynne
GMG

Photo credits: Rockefeller Center, David Shankbone, Garden Visit; Community Garden of Denver (Wikipedia Commons) and Rooftop Garden at Rockefeller Center (Wikipedia Commons)

No Soil, No Problem

While plastic pop bottles continue to pile up in our landfills, scientists and growers are working together to make this growing problem a growing solution.

Plastic pop bottles, for many of us, are another way of referring to polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

This thermoplastic polymer is most commonly used to create the containers we use for foods and beverages. It’s also one of the most commonly recycled materials in the world.But did you know that PET is now making a push into the arena of growing media? You read correctly, growing media.

So the next time you polish off a bottle of your favorite soda over lunch, make sure to toss it into the correct recycling bin. After all, it may revisit you down the road during your next production run. Check out the recent article in Greenhouse Grower.

North Creek Holding Open House

Garden writers and landscape designers, want to see some groovy new plants? North Creek Nurseries is holding an Open House at its Landenberg, Pa., farm from 10 am to 4 pm this Thursday, September 3. Interested garden writers and landscpae designers are invited to attend.

North Creek is a wholesale nursery with a special emphasis on native plants -- you may have seen them at GWA symposiums -- and they'll be offering tours, presentations on new introductions, rain gardens, green roof garden, a native landscape plug meadow, lunch etc. You can look up the details at here.

The farm is at 388 North Creek Road in Landenberg, and directions are on the web site. For planning purposes, they'd appreciate an email if you plan to attend: info@northcreeknurseries.com