Green Roof Plants For Shade

When choosing plants for a green roof they need to be able to withstand wind and frost be drought resistant tolerate living in poor soil and be maintenance free.

Green roof plants for shade.

Fill the shady spots in your garden with a variety of plants including perennials annuals flowering shrubs and trees that grow in part or full shade. But once they get going these tough plants can handle challenging growing conditions with minimal. Sedum ternatum mossy stonecrop 8 1 qt. Along with the makeup and depth of the growing medium selecting the right plants is crucial to the success of a green roof.

Emory knoll farms inc. 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. Armeria maritima shiny dark green narrow leaves form tufted clumps. All plants need a little tlc when getting established.

Mat forming species of sedum sempervivum and moss are good choices. Hosta heuchera dead nettle tiarella astilbe foxglove ferns hydrangea and more. Tough plants for shade. The soil mix we like to use is 50 expanded shale 25 usda sand and 25 organic compost.

Green roof plants should also be attractive and offer food and. Plants for green roofs. Some green roofs are constructed specifically to support sports turf. Album delosperma could be tried in a sunny frost free area.

The plants chosen must be appropriate for the roof type extensive intensive or semi intensive. Green roof plants need to be chosen with care however as not all plants are suitable for growing in this way. Careful plant selection and maintenance is needed to ensure annuals do not become weeds on a green roof. We get most of our native plants from nature by design and typically the plants below would work well in partial or full shade.

Flowers give much needed color later in the season. Carex pennsylvanica pennsylvania sedge 8 1 qt. Learn about the top 20 shade loving plants. Dark green to purple winter foliage.

This is especially true when plants are young. Try dry habitat perennials and. It will also be more exposed to drying winds and therefore the plants on a sun baked green roof either need to be very drought tolerant or they will need an irrigation system. Ferns such as polypodium vulgare and asplenium trichomanes could be used in dry shady conditions.

Climate clearly plays a major role in choosing the best plants for a green roof. Vegetables are the other main group of annual plants used on green roofs. We are active in green roof plant research. Interesting foliage plant adds texture to a green roof with spiraling blue green leaves.

On a sunny roof bear in mind that the temperature on the roof is likely to be at least a couple of degrees higher than the temperature on the ground. Common sedum species used include sedum acre s. These require irrigation and a substrate depth of at least 200 mm.