Category: Ecology
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South London Green Roof
Just a quick photo update from a roof I made in March. This was put together with Optigreen substrate, drainage etc and seeds and plug plants from Boningale Nurseries. It is growing well with lots of plant growth for the first year. Recent rain should really encourage growth.
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Green roof in South London
Last week I completed another green roof in Streatham. It is on the rear of a really interesting house, a 1930s semi that is getting a complete eco-makeover from the owner. He has insulated the walls inside and out with wood fibre and remade the roof in solar panels and that is just the start.…
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Biodiverse green roof in London
Last week I completed a ‘green’ green roof. Not only was it a green roof with plants increasing the amount of green space in central London but we also managed to use it to improve the energy efficiency of the house we were building it on. The customers were really interested in using a small…
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Dreaming of a green Christmas?
I am certainly dreaming of one, I enjoy Christmas as much as anyone but I do worry about the waste that goes on at this time of year. Presents are great but sometimes there are rather more than anyone needs, especially in a big family. Like many families we have instituted a one present per…
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Draught proofing an old terrace house
For the last year or so I have been working on and off on an older property near Stockwell. It’s a lovely house but it does get pretty cold and draughty, especially in the harsh winter we have been having. Last year I fitted some secondary glazing on the stairs and in the bathroom reducing…
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It’s raining meadows
After last weeks exciting pictures of the roof in Hertfordshire there has been even more growth: Even the local wildlife is taking a keen interest: There are also some fungi appearing, will have to get the mushroom book out and see if these are edible ones: It looks like the roof is fairly comfortable with…
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Mini green roofs
I am giving a short talk at the London Green Fair next month on building your own green roof so I have been looking around for examples. They are starting to appear all over the place now. Near my home in Lambeth there is a lovely community roof on some garages where they grow wheat…
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Green roof workshop
Just returned from a great green roof workshop organised by Ben Kimpton at The Ecology Consultancy. The workshop was by Gary Grant and Dusty Gedge of The Green Roof Consultancy and covered green roofs and living walls. Some interesting elements included popular myths and why they aren’t true: Fire – The risk of fire is greater on…
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Green roof update
The green roof in Hertfordshire is growing well, the sedum has bedded in and some wildflowers are starting to appear elsewhere. Some of the thinner areas of substrate don’t seem to be producing much, I will monitor this and add more soil if nothing shows up in the spring.…
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Green roof update
Just a quick one, not finished yet but the roof is progressing nicely, we have the sedum in place for the middle of the roof and drainage channels laid out in pebbles across the rest of the roof. Now all we have to do is add in soil from the garden in the gaps so…