Roof Top Gardens flourish from Hong Kong to Philly

Green roofs are springing up from Hong Kong to Philadelphia as more and more cities and communities realize the benefits green roofs provide for people and the environment.

From growing edibles to planting colorful perennials and natives that attract beneficial wildlife, green roofs provide a relaxing escape from the noise and pollution of city life. As an added benefit, roof top gardens reduce rainwater runoff that contributes to flooding and pollution, and help cool buildings by absorbing heat.

With so much to offer, even big corporations like Philadelphia based PECO Energy have jumped on the green roof bandwagon.

They partnered with  PHS (Pennsylvania Horticulture Society), known for the prestigious Philadelphia International Flower Show, to design and maintain PECO's 45,000 square foot green roof  perched eight stories high above the crowded streets.

PHS provides plans, plants and maintenance, and conducts walking tours where visitors can enjoy breathtaking views of the city along with areas that feature large planters filled with a variety of native grasses and perennials.

This fits nicely with PHS's green initiatives to educate and grow stronger communities by supporting urban farming and community gardens, restoring vacant land, planting trees and more.

Around the world, rooftop farms are springing up on top of skyscrapers like in Hong Kong, where urban dwellers of the modern asphalt jungle grow fresh fruit, veggies and herbs for better health and wellness and the incomparable fresh taste of homegrown food.

From walking tours to a peaceful escape from a harried day, nothing beats the simple pleasure of enjoying Mother Nature where green meets blue.

Let us know if your city is planning to add rooftop gardens and if not, why not? Cost to build and maintain? Or not enough interest?

Lynne
Garden Media Group
photos credits: NYC Rockefeller Center rooftop gardens by David Shankbone, Wikipedia Commons

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)