Green Roof Plants For Shade

Founded the first green roof nursery in north america.

Green roof plants for shade.

Flowers give much needed color later in the season. Green roofs of creeping plants and herbs need some sort of frame around the perimeter to hold everything in place. The soil mix we like to use is 50 expanded shale 25 usda sand and 25 organic compost. We get most of our native plants from nature by design and typically the plants below would work well in partial or full shade.

Species such as sedum delosperma euphorbia and sempervivum are popular choices. The leaf coloring of iresine can vary immensely depending on light with brightest color generally in full sun. Shade tolerant plants are most likely to flower in spring and tend to offer foliage rather than colour for most of the year. Their low growing and or spreading habits great drought tolerance seasonal flowers and contrasting foliage colours textures and forms make them ideal candidates for green roofs.

We are active in green roof plant research. Plants for extensive green roofs should have low growth height rapid growth spreading and fibrous roots that have high drought tolerance. 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. 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.

Sedum ternatum mossy stonecrop 8 1 qt. This plant thrives in partial shade or sun and is great as a ground cover. Glaucum interesting foliage plant adds texture to a green roof with spiraling blue green leaves. 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.

Iresine or alternanthera is a tropical perennial with showy green foliage that is irregularly splashed with white and pink. This can be made out of timber while off the shelf installations are typically metal. First down is the waterproof root barrier layer which will protect the surface of the roof. Think of a green roof as a lasagne of ingredients.

Carex pennsylvanica pennsylvania sedge 8 1 qt. Succulents particularly colourful sedums dominate shallow substrate green roofs across temperate europe and north america.