Most people would agree that sheds can look a bit uninspiring, but they are an essential when it comes to protecting garden tools like the lawn mower and items like bikes.
However, you can turn yours into a thing of beauty if you give it a green roof, editor of Wild London magazine Kate Bradbury told the Guardian.
She said she got the idea after hearing the Technology Strategy Board's Dr Richard Miller and Buglife's Claire Dinham talk about them during a meeting of the Wildlife Gardening Forum.
After going home and doing a little more research, Ms Bradbury decided to get one fitted to her shed.
Since then, she has seen bees, caterpillars and even moths enjoying the fruits of her labour, adding: "I grow mainly spring-flowering woodland plants such as primrose and bluebell, which I can see close up without having to crouch down."
You can do the same and plant seasonal flowers, or you could try alpines and heathers or even just grass – all of them will help to counter all the land being lost in Britain each day.
If you want to keep your green roof neat and trimmed you can do so with hedge trimmers or secateurs, but allowing it to go wild is an option that wildlife will probably prefer.
However, don't be tempted to go outside right now and throw a load of soil and grass seed on to your shed, as you run the risk of it collapsing. Instead, Do It Yourself explains that you'll have to ensure to building you want to 'green up' is structurally stable enough.
Once this has been established, either make a timber frame yourself or contract a joiner to do so. The frame should have divided sections to stop the soil slipping with the angle of the roof and a waterproof bottom (like a pool liner or heavy duty plastic) to stop moisture seeping through.
Finally, put the green roof in place, fill it with quality soil and then plant your greenery.
"The shed roof is by far the most interesting feature of my garden and I can't recommend it enough," Ms Bradbury enthused.
