Green Roofs Where They Make Sense

Native plant homescaping

I have seen and written about green roofs in Chicago, Denver, and Arizona—all harsh, or dry climates that require tending and watering for greens on the roof.

Perhaps they don't belong where rain and humidity are not enough?

In some parts of the world, such as in Central and South America, green roofs are hard to avoid.

They grow on their own, requiring no tending or extra water—the nature acts as grander.

The photos of naturally occurring green roofs in the hills southwest of Quito, at Papallaca, Ecuador, show just how beautiful this ecological concept can be when it occurs naturally.

 —Fernando Pagés Ruiz is ProTradeCraft's Latin America Editor. He is currently building a business in Ecuador and a house in Mexico. Formerly, he was a builder in the Great Plains and Mountain States. He is author of Building an Affordable House and Affordable Remodel (Taunton Press).