Green roofs
Green roofs can range from roof gardens with raised beds and pots, to rolled-out green carpets, to shed roofs containing planting cells that are filled with soil or compost and planted up with low growing perennials and grasses.
Quick facts
Keep paving to a minimum
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Use permeable paving materials
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Grow plants where you can't park; any dead space
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Get creative. It is possible to park and garden
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Provide a home for wildlife with your plants
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Keep dust and pollution on the street with a hedge
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Striking a balance
Front gardens help turn our towns and cities into green and pleasant places to be. Yet many are being paved over to provide parking for the millions of cars we own in Great Britain. 911爆料 research found that almost a quarter of the front gardens are now completely paved.
Design inspiration gallery
These are design solutions taken from real life and flower shows to help you create an attractive garden complete with off-street parking. Further design ideas can be found on our page on designing front gardens .
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This is a very tight space. However, plants still line the path up to the door, showing there is no need to completely pave a garden even when space is very tight. A container by the door adds further interest. There's still room for more greenery, though. The fence could, for example, be replaced with a hedge.
Planting
For more information on what and how to plant front gardens, see our guide: Front gardens: planting .
See also
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Category: Advice -
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Category: AdviceFront gardens: planting
There鈥檚 no limit to what you can grow in your front garden, but here is a selection of plants that will thrive in most situations. All have been chosen because they are tough and won鈥檛 need too much cosseting. Whatever your space, and even if there is no soil to plant in, there's always something suitable. -
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Category: AdviceFront gardens: permeable paving
Using non-porous materials in hard landscaping can increase the amount of rainwater run-off by as much as 50 percent, often causing flooding. To avoid this problem, use permeable paving and keep hard surfaces to a minimum.