Introduction: 🌿🌸 “Bloom Above: Transforming a Garage Roof Into a Wildflower Haven” 🐝🏡

By google scholar
About: Chemist, Inventor and Maker

We turned our flat garage roof into a biodiverse wildflower garden — no machines, just a shovel, many plants patience, and a plan. This DIY green roof helps cool the building, supports pollinators, and thrives with minimal care. It’s a rewarding and environmentally conscious way to give unused space a new purpose.

Supplies

Structural Layers (bottom to top):

  1. Root barrier membrane
  2. Water retention fleece
  3. Drainage layer
  4. Filter fleece
  5. Substrate soil (systemerde, suitable for roof gardens)
  6. Decorative pebbles (for the edges)

Plants (all in 9 cm pots):

Over 170 perennials chosen for their drought tolerance and pollinator-friendliness, including:

  1. Hyssopus officinalis
  2. Nepeta faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’
  3. Dianthus deltoides
  4. Sedum reflexum, album, floriferum
  5. Thymus vulgaris & Doone Valley
  6. Origanum vulgare, Campanula carpatica, and many more.

️ Tools:

  1. Shovel
  2. Buckets
  3. Gloves (optional)
  4. Your hands!

Step 1: Prepare the Roof Layers

On top of the flat garage roof (ready with drainage through rain tubes), we applied the following layers in sequence:

  1. Root barrier membrane – protects the structure
  2. Water retention fleece – holds moisture
  3. Drainage layer – prevents waterlogging
  4. Filter fleece – stops soil from clogging the drainage
  5. Substrate soil (systemerde) – around 10–15 cm thick
  6. Edge pebbles – help retain soil and give a neat border

This created a functional and water-managing base for our plants.

Step 2: Plant the Wildflowers

We arranged and planted the wildflowers in clusters and rows, with space for them to expand. The species were selected for:

  1. Low maintenance
  2. Drought resistance
  3. Long blooming periods
  4. Attracting bees, butterflies, and other pollinators

The entire planting was done by hand — no heavy machinery needed. The rain-fed setup requires no irrigation beyond extreme dry spells.


🌼 Planting List – 100% Wildflower Power


We used a total of 180 perennial plants, selected for their resilience, biodiversity support, and long flowering periods. Planting was done in distinct clusters (for visual impact and structure) and wider area coverage (for ground-hugging color and ecological balance).


🌿 Cluster Plantings (Kleingruppen) – 5 species, 10 each:

  1. Hyssopus officinalis (Hyssop)
  2. Dianthus deltoides ‘Brilliant’ (Maiden Pink)
  3. Origanum vulgare compactum (Compact Marjoram)
  4. Anthemis hybrida ‘Grallagh Gold’ (Chamomile hybrid)
  5. Nepeta faassenii (Catmint)

➡️ Total for clusters: 50 plants


🌸 Area Plantings (Flächenbepflanzung) – 12 species, varied quantities:

  1. Arabis caucasica ‘Schneehaube’ (Snowcap Rock Cress) – 10
  2. Alyssum montanum ‘Berggold’ (Mountain Gold Alyssum) – 10
  3. Antennaria dioica ‘Borealis’ (Pussytoes) – 10
  4. Gypsophila repens ‘Rosa Schönheit’ (Creeping Baby’s Breath) – 10
  5. Thymus hybrida ‘Doone Valley’ (Doone Valley Thyme) – 10
  6. Sedum floriferum ‘Weihenstephaner Gold’ – 10
  7. Prunella grandiflora (Self-heal) – 15
  8. Sedum reflexum ‘Elegant’ (Stonecrop) – 15
  9. Sedum hybridum ‘Immergrünchen’ – 10
  10. Sedum album ‘Murale’ – 15
  11. Aster alpinus ‘Albus’ (Alpine Aster) – 10
  12. Campanula carpatica ‘Blaue Clips’ (Carpathian Bellflower) – 10
  13. Thymus vulgaris ‘Compactus’ (Common Thyme) – 15

➡️ Total for area plantings: 130 plants


🌱 Grand Total: 180 plants, 17 species


Balanced between ornamental, aromatic, and insect-friendly — with a planting style that evolves naturally over the seasons.

Step 3: Let Nature Do the Rest - Final Thoughts

Over the seasons, the roof has become a living ecosystem:

  1. Bees and butterflies moved in quickly
  2. The flowering changes from month to month
  3. Self-seeding and new wild arrivals appear year after year
  4. The roof helps insulate the garage and adds beauty from above

No ongoing tools or upkeep — just enjoyment and observation.

Creating a green roof is easier than it looks — and incredibly rewarding. This project transformed a dead surface into a blooming, buzzing landscape that helps our local ecosystem and contributes to a greener planet.

It’s a reminder: every unused corner can become a small sanctuary for life.