What is a Green Doghouse?
Even in urban settings, “green roofs” are all the rage. These have a multitude of purposes, but one of the most popular is as a peaceful resting point for the eyes. Beautifying a doghouse roof can help integrate it into the landscape and perk up an old eyesore. Plus, it can provide a habitat for birds, produce food, attract pollinators and butterflies, and even help clean the air. Going green encompasses more than remembering to recycle and lowering your carbon footprint. There are so many little ways we can repurpose old items and keep from filling landfills while keeping a useful object. The lowly doghouse has often been relegated to an unseen part of the yard but not anymore! Making a doghouse garden roof not only pretties up an ugly edifice but has numerous other attributes. The key is to have a roof that is strong enough to add soil and can be adapted to contain plants. Flat roofs are best but using some borders and a little chicken wire can also transform slanted roofs.
Plants for the Living Doghouse Roof
Depending on your design and needs, there are many plants suitable for a green doghouse. Strawberries are an easy-to-grow plant that will tumble with abandon over a flat or peaked roof. Not only will they bloom in spring, but you can look forward to picking sweet, red fruits without stooping to the ground. Succulents translate easily to even vertical structures. These easy-to-grow, low-maintenance plants come in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and textures. They are often the most appealing when different species are mixed together. Flowering annuals will provide some much needed color, transforming an ordinary doghouse into a magic fairyland. Select low maintenance plants with simple growing needs for best results.
How to Make a Garden Doghouse
There are few right ways to build the doghouse garden. You can start from scratch with simple materials like pallets or redo an existing house. Adhere roofing felt to the roof and use 1×4’s cut to size to make a barrier that will contain soil around the edges. Fill the roof with well-draining soil. To keep everything in place, staple chicken wire over the soil. Use young plants and push roots between the holes in the wire, pressing them firmly into the soil. On extreme angles, it may be helpful to give plants a stake to help them stay in place while roots develop. For added appeal, plant mosses between the plants. Keep moist and wait a few weeks for plants to fill in.
