Extensive Green Roof Plants

We are active in green roof plant research and collaborate with educational institutions and nurseries worldwide.

Extensive green roof plants.

A 10 4 acre extensive green roof in dearborn mich. Extensive green roof an extensive green roof system is characterized of its vegetation ranging from sedums to small grasses herbs and flowering herbaceous plants which need little maintenance and no permanent irrigation system. Plants for extensive green roofs. Careful plant selection and maintenance is needed to ensure annuals do not become weeds on a green roof.

Succulents such as sedum are often chosen for extensive green roofs because they withstand harsh conditions and minimize water loss. These require irrigation and a substrate depth of at least 200 mm. The growing medium depth for an extensive green roof system is typically 6 inches or less. By contrast extensive green roofs use shallower media depths less than 6 inches and require minimal maintenance.

Green roof plants this is an example of tolerable plants to create diverse extensive green roof habits e g. Founded the first green roof nursery in north america. Plants for extensive green roofs should have low growth height rapid growth spreading and fibrous roots that have high drought tolerance. Extensive green roofs have a growing depth of 3 to 6 inches and are typ ically lighter in weight with a saturated weight of 15 to 30 pounds per square foot.

Small succulents are low maintenance plants. 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. River rouge assembly plant. Plant diversity is the key for long term sustainability reduced maintenance and enhanced green roof benefits.

Green roofs are classi cally described by the depth of the growing medium extensive semi intensive and intensive. Emory knoll farms inc. Try dry habitat perennials and ornamental grasses such as rudbeckia achillea potentilla armeria dianthus helictotrichon sempervirens stipa tenuissima and even bulbs such as muscari or small allium species such as allium flavum and a. Because of the challenges of selecting plants for shallow media this publication focuses on extensive green roofs.

Vegetables are the other main group of annual plants used on green roofs. The planting medium in extensive green roofs ranges from 1 6 to 6 inches deep and while deeper systems have been installed they are not favored as much as the shallower systems drought tolerant sedums succulent plants and grasses are the typical plants used since they are shallow rooted and use little water plant diversity on these roofs is kept low to simplify care and to be sure all plants have similar moisture requirements. At the ford motor co. 2 inch drainage and 3 inch fll certified growing media.