Gardens on high
Plants don’t have to be relegated to ground level. With the green roofs and walls from award-winning landscaping company Natural Habitats, gardens can defy gravity.
Green roofs and walls are increasing in popularity, driven by a change in how we live and a concerted effort to do better for the environment.
These complete organic systems enhance the aesthetics and sustainability of spaces. They are made of recycled polystyrene and a unique growing media specially designed to support various plants, from shrubs to trees.
Natural Habitats’ Auckland Regional Manager Tom McCarthy says clients are driven towards green roofs and walls for several reasons and are heavily influenced by changes in urban design.
“There are a lot of homes that have been developed in high-density areas, where you’re looking down on your neighbour or you’re right next to a blank wall of a neighbouring property. You want to dress that up, and it feels like you’re still in nature.”
On top of the aesthetics, there is a range of benefits.
The roofs can increase energy efficiency, better manage stormwater, improve air quality and biodiversity and even extend the life of a roof by two or three times.
Green walls can be fitted inside and out. Those fitted to external walls absorb stormwater and reduce runoff into a city’s waterways; they can reduce noise, reduce heating costs, and enhance the air quality for those in a building and those on the street.
Aside from limited land and urban sustainability as motivating factors, others are choosing green roofs and walls to enhance their homes in other ways.
In the Auckland suburb of Remuera, owners of a character home wanted a cottage-style garden. With a brief to amplify the home’s natural materials and textural elements and create a vista for the master bedroom, a natural haven was achieved using the lightweight eco-pillows, with exotics like geraniums and fushia on the roof and shade-loving natives on the wall.
“Our mission is to create environmental solutions for a better world,” Tom says.
“We’re committing to positive outcomes for the planet, people, partnerships and performance. And our vision is for an environmentally thriving New Zealand, with landscapes that positively contribute to climate change and the lives of the people who enjoy them.”
