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Sunday 23 March 2008

Green roofs all over ....

I just finished reading the "Green Fingered Photographer" post on his green roof and thought I also have one but in another sense. I haven't planted anything on my shed roof but I have trained our Engelmann Ivy over the shed roof as well as both privacy trellis at either end of our deck. In a way it is the "lazy green roof" method. It does however supply the same benefits to us and our visitors of the garden. It cools the shed a bit and that is wonderful because it is metal and you know what happens with the sun. It has a few insects for the birds to eat in the summer as well as berries in the Autumn. It provides a resting space for butterflies and birds.
The colour of the vine in Autumn is nothing less than spectacular. So all in all it works very hard from Spring to winter .. and I am grateful I had the brain cells zapping at me with that idea those few years ago when I went "WOW" wouldn't doing this be a good idea !
Yes .. my rain barrel is very happy in that spot too .. no boiling water on the shady side of the garden in the afternoon .. phew !

11 comments:

Viooltje said...

Wonderful ivy. My nanny's old house used to be covered in ivy, and if you ask me, it is still the loveliest facade to look at and quite a sturdy isolation. The only drawback is that it encourages much more spiders to climb their way up to my window and doesn't go hand in hand with my arachnophobia. Not that they don't find their way up in the end. I wonder how many other gardeners are arachnophobic; one would usually think being a gardener n' all you'd bury the hatchet with the little buggers. I know it has nothing to do with your post, but somehow ivy always reminds me of it, and off we go... LOL
Anyway, Kristy & Krusty just wanted me to stop by and wish everyone a happy Easter (Sophie in particular).

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello back Viooltje !
Thanks for stopping by .. and I love hearing about other gardener's history with plants .. it must be such a nice memory to have of your nana.
I hate earwigs .. I'll run screaming if I come across a group of them .. I think all gardeners have some phobia of something actually in their garden .. we are a strange group of people aren't we ? LOL
Sophie says meow back to Kristy and Krusty !

Priscilla George said...

That looks gorgeous. I love the effect that ivy has when it covers portions of a house or building.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Vanillalotus.. it does make a lush look doesn't it .. I do have to keep an eye on it though .. but it is worth it !

Melanie Chopay said...

Ewww, earwigs! When I was a kid I helped clean the barn in Germany one summer. Hundreds of earwigs ran out of one of the "pies" and my older cousins teased me and told me that they'd crawl in my ears and pinch them.

My aunt was pretty mad at them after that because for a week I kept the whole household up at night as I screamed through nightmares. Nobody there spoke English but they told me I kept yelling "don't pinch my ears".

Love the ivy, it's so lush!

Sigh...sitting here trying to get back to normal and eating all my daughters candy.

Aiyana said...

This ivy is so pretty growing against your house. Some of the older historic homes in Phoenix have vines growing on the walls and roofs; almost all of them are English Tudor style, which seems to lend itself to growing vines this way. With my desert landscaping and southwest contemporary house style, it just wouldn't work--but I love the look.
Happy Easter,
Aiyana

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi melanie .. I really have an skin crawling reaction to earwigs .. ugh !
So ... was there enough DESERT for that nice meal ? haha .. yeah .. eat your daughter's candy girl .. it will help ! haha

Hi Aiyana .. this really was our of desperation for privacy .. then all the other benefits that followed were wonderful !
I love a southwest look and no .. ivy wouldn't be an option with that for sure.

VP said...

Lovely Joy! You're doing your shed and house a disservice when you said my shed was better than your house! ;)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

VP .. You still have the BEST looking shed I have ever seen girl ! LOL

Ewa said...

I love ivy on the walls - it makes it alive. With every little blow of wind it is moving - I love it :)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Ewa .. it does do that , doesn't it ? .. and we usually have some nesting birds in it as well .. I do have to climb the ladder to trim it up a bit .. then everyone knows in the neighbor when I am doing that .. naughty words might be grumbled a few times ... haha