From one side of our apartment we have a view on a roof of a shop in the same building. The view is not very enticing, as you may see from the photos. As there are some plants growing here and there, I was wondering if it would work (apart from gathering the garbage...) to simply seed some mixtures of seeds of flowers there? Do you think they would grow without any help from my side? If yes what mixture/which flowers you would recommend and when should I seed them (we are living in Villach, Austria)? I am not sure how much the roof can carry so I do not want to add any additional soil or walk there if not necessary.
1 Answer
How deep is the growing medium on the roof? What is the growing medium? It's important to note that green roofs in the US are engineered, with specific layers of different media to ensure proper drainage. I assume that that is also the case in the EU. The fact that you have plants already growing on the roof is very encouraging - it looks as if someone has already engineered the soil. ..
In the northern US, we use sedums and sempervivums on green roofs because they require far less water and can withstand drought. You could also look at "rock garden plants" like Talinum and Erodium (really, any fleshy-leaved plant) for variation on the roof. For example, Talinum calycinum (with the excellent common name of Jewels of Opar) flowers in late summer in Wisconsin. Erodium can be both a spring and summer bloomer, depending on species.
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I have no idea what is the growing medium and how deep it is. I will simply try some mixture of seeds of sedums and sempervivums, thanks! Sep 8, 2021 at 18:46
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Still one question: do you think it is safe to walk on the roof? I wanted to gather the garbage, but I am afraid the roof will not keep me (I weight under 60kg)... Sep 8, 2021 at 18:47
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Are you in an area that gets a lot of heavy, wet snow? If so, then I would think you could walk on it, since the weight of snow can be up to 125 kg per a square of 30 cm (300 lbs/sq ft). If not, it looks like maintenance workers are expected to walk on the roof, given that their is a skylight and what may be cooling units up there. The roof should've been built to hold a worker's' weight (for example, in California, US, roofs on which maintenance workers are expected to walk must be able to carry a weight of 125+ kg).– JurpSep 8, 2021 at 19:37
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We live in Austria, 500 m above the see level, so I assume it is a lot of snow here (but we moved here a few weeks ago so I have never experienced winter here by myself). Ok, thanks, I think I will try to walk on it. Sep 8, 2021 at 19:50
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