Her Birdfeeder Has A Living Roof

Her Birdfeeder Has A Living Roof FARM HOME Miscellaneous You’ve never seen a birdhouse like this one with a “living roof” made by Sharlene Eash Covered with sphagnum peat moss sedums and hens and chicks plants her birdfeeder roof has survived a couple of Indiana winters To protect the wood roof from rotting she covered it with rubber roofing material with an extra 1/2 in on all sides to staple it in place Then with the help of her young son she framed the perimeter to create shallow beds on both sides of the roof about an inch deep Eash added water to the moss in the bag she purchased it in to hold it together before spreading it out on the rubber roofing “Then attractively plant your sedums making a hole with your finger and inserting the roots ” she says noting she also tucked in a few hens and chicks plants She added screws about every 4 in on the top and bottom of the roof frame leaving enough room on the head to wrap wire around it Twisting about 4 ft of thin wire around the screw heads and going back and forth from top to bottom she created a grid to hold everything in place “You might not need wire for a roof with less of a pitch ” Eash says noting her roof was steeper than she wanted Though she occasionally sprays the roof with water the moss usually holds enough moisture for sedums which are hardy through the winter Succulent plants would likely work in warm climates she notes “It just looks really nice and there’s no water runoff ” she says noting the living roof would also be great on a shed or pergola Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Sharlene Eash 9687 N 700 W Ligonier Ind 46767 ph 260-894-3806

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