Green roofs and vertical gardens are in vogue at the moment. This cabin I built about fifteen years ago now has a thick coating of moss on the felt and a mass of ivy growing up one side. I remarked to someone recently that was my idea of a green roof and a vertical garden!

 I was half joking but I do have misgivings about the green roof/vertical garden concept. A certain amount of soil is needed which has considerable weight (especially when wet) and water retaining soil in contact with the exterior of a building may transmit damp. Then again the soil will dry out quite easily so will need a lot of watering at times. These are technical problems which can be addressed but to be honest why go to all the trouble/expense of trying to attach soil to buildings?!

 There are plants that go in the ground that want to climb up walls and any roof in a damp country like Britain starts to green very quickly with moss and lichen (fascinating and valuable in their own right). The cabin wasn't built with a green roof or a vertical garden in mind but nature has taken care of it.