The First and Last green roof in England is developing into a lovely coastal habitat. A few years ago I posted a blog about the roof at Sennen in Cornwall. I had used pictures from back in 2011 when I visited. The owner just happened to send me a few images of the roof a few days later.
First and Last green roof in England – Geoff Haslam
One can see in late summer that the vegetation has developed to cover most of the roof. There are still a few bare areas for basking butterflies. The photo also shows the edge detail nice. The large granite boulders held in place by wire to protect from the wind.
First and Last ‘Wildlife’ Green Roof in England
Technically this is not quite the first and last green roof in England. Literally next-door, nearer the coast, is another smaller green roof. This one, however. is a conventional sedum blanket green roof.
But the roof built using our guide is vegetated with local wildflowers. This makes it better for local biodiversity and changes, like the local cliff vegetation, with the seasons.
Coastal Green roof – detail – Geoff Haslam
Biodiversity and Solar Energy
I can see a few interesting plants growing here, especially birdsfoot trefoil. This lovely plant is a food plant for a number of butterflies. There also looks as if there is kidney vetch, another good source of nectar and pollen for pollinators. Obviously the roof will change with the season and earlier in the year, the thrift that was planted would have been in flower.
View of the roof – Geoff Haslam
‘This year there is wild carrot and evening primrose on the roof. We had teasels last year,’ the Geoff Haslam the designer and owner told me in an email. ‘The other green roof is ‘weeded’ a lot. We let the wildflowers come.’
The solar thermal tubes that incorporated into the green roof help reduce heating costs. During sunny spells the owners don’t need the immersion heater. The Land’s End area of Cornwall is the sunniest place in the UK.
Building green roofs is all about confidence
Green roofs can seem complicated when viewing commercial sites. Such companies for good reason need to satisfy clients about guarantees and other liability issues. The point, though about green roofs, is the plants. This are hard to guarantee and will change with year on year depending on the climate. So it is about confidence and we know our guide will give you confidence to build the green roof you want.
