Tourism
/ Heritage Centre case study: Wildflower on the roof garden, at the
Duchas National Heritage
Interpretive Centre, Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, New Grange - Boyne Valley, Dunboyne. Co
Meath.
DBN has employed in the mid 1990's to
design and supply a specialist wildflower seed mixture for the roof garden
at the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, the landscape design was carried out for Landscape Architect Mrs.
Barbara O'Neill.
The construction of the sod roof, or 'green
roof garden' at Dunboyne was completed in the mid 1990's.
Problems
arose from the start, the low nutrient weed free soil that was specified,
was replaced, with weed ridden rich top soil and the seed was sown with
out any pre sowing treatment to control the weeds. Further into the
project the building required new ventilation for a cafe, and soil was
moved on the roof and replaced with different soil containing more
invasive weeds.
During the 1990's,
the meadow hardly got a chance, and certainly no maintenance, however
wildflowers appeared from the start. As time passes, the fertile
topsoil is becoming depleted and the rampant weeds are finding it
difficult to sustain life on the roof, more tender wildflowers are getting
a chance to grow and set seed, these are slowly spreading.
14 species
recorded in 2000, it
is doing well, all things considering!
Cowslip, Yarrow, Century, Sedum, Plantain, Bush
and Kidney Vetch, Meadow Vetchling and Ox-eye have all appeared since planting.
27/03/03,
My last site visit was March 2003, a bit early to see what is
growing, but I still managed to identify about 14 species, including, Red
Clover, Hypericum, Burdock (not supplied), Purple Toadflax, Lesser
Knapweed, Selfheal and Hawksbit Sp..
Mr. John
Mc Geown is now appointed head gardener and we hope there will be a changes for the
better, new wildflower
planting was carried out about the
visitors centre car park and restaurant in 2003, and we will keep an eye
on th roof garden.

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