Green Roof Shrubs

An extensive green roof is a thin usually less than six inches lightweight system that is typically predominantly planted with succulents drought tolerant ground covering plants and grass.

Green roof shrubs.

Save to my scrapbook green roof on shed in the garden of valerie legg and simon harding bury st edmunds suffolk. And with good planning and the right plants your green roof will establish itself as a viable wildlife community that needs only occasional intervention from you. Increasing the substrate depth and irrigation will also increase the range of plants that can be used successfully. It prefers sandy soil and dry conditions and the plants produce long stems of white or pink flowers throughout the summer.

Shrubs to one metre in height are best used in substrate depths of 250 mm or more. An intensive green roof is a deeper typically greater than six inches heavier system designed to sustain complex landscapes. These are the mainstays of any green roof and should form the bulk of the planting unless provisions are made for the roof to support soil deeper than the 3 to 4 inches that is typical. The greater growing depth supports a wider va riety of perennials grasses and shrubs which creates a more gardenlike land scape.

We get most of our native plants from nature by design and typically the plants below would work well in partial or full shade. The soil mix we like to use is 50 expanded shale 25 usda sand and 25 organic compost. As the nation s leading supplier of plants for green roof systems since 1998 our accomplished horticulture team has more experience than any other nursery in the united states growing plants for successful green roof projects. Emory knoll farms inc.

Succulents such as sedum are often chosen for extensive green roofs because they withstand harsh conditions and minimize water loss. Small shrubs provide cover display and habitat values and often form the bulk of plantings used on green roofs with deep substrates. Founded the first green roof nursery in north america. Sedum ternatum mossy stonecrop 8 1 qt.

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. Semi intensive green roofs are a heavier system with a saturated weight of 30 to 50 pounds per square foot and a growing medium of 6 to 12 inches. Plants for extensive green roofs should have low growth height rapid growth spreading and fibrous roots that have high drought tolerance. Perfect for a green roof because it adapts well to harsh conditions sea thrift is a grass like plant commonly found on the coast.

We are active in green roof plant research.