Green Roof Plants For Shade

The leaf coloring of iresine can vary immensely depending on light with brightest color generally in full sun.

Green roof plants for shade.

Glaucum interesting foliage plant adds texture to a green roof with spiraling blue green leaves. Think of a green roof as a lasagne of ingredients. Sedum ternatum mossy stonecrop 8 1 qt. Shade tolerant plants are most likely to flower in spring and tend to offer foliage rather than colour for most of the year.

This can be made out of timber while off the shelf installations are typically metal. Species such as sedum delosperma euphorbia and sempervivum are popular choices. If your roof is shaded by trees or by other buildings you will need to choose shade tolerant plants such as woodland bulbs bluebells aconites etc woodland grasses red or white dead nettle and primrose. First down is the waterproof root barrier layer which will protect the surface of the roof.

Succulents particularly colourful sedums dominate shallow substrate green roofs across temperate europe and north america. Flowers give much needed color later in the season. Founded the first green roof nursery in north america. Succulent plants are well adapted to the conditions often found on extensive green roofs because of their ability to limit transpiration and store excess water.

Plants for extensive green roofs should have low growth height rapid growth spreading and fibrous roots that have high drought tolerance. The soil mix we like to use is 50 expanded shale 25 usda sand and 25 organic compost. 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. Iresine or alternanthera is a tropical perennial with showy green foliage that is irregularly splashed with white and pink.

Succulents such as sedum are often chosen for extensive green roofs because they withstand harsh conditions and minimize water loss. We get most of our native plants from nature by design and typically the plants below would work well in partial or full shade. 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.

Carex pennsylvanica pennsylvania sedge 8 1 qt. This plant thrives in partial shade or sun and is great as a ground cover.