Lightweight Plants For Flat Roofs

40mm high perforated edge drainage trim for bauder sedum blanket.

Lightweight plants for flat roofs.

A deciduous shrub with a funky common name harry lauder s walking stick corylus avellana contorta twists itself into seemingly unfathomable shapes that are good sculptural plant accents to a rooftop garden. Carex nigra is technically considered a sedge and is often used on living roofs because its roots require less soil than most other grasses or grass like plants. It s lightweight and easy to install. It reduces loading on the structure of the building even when saturated with water up to xx lightweight substrates that incorporate expanded clay are compatible with all climates and all plant types e g.

1 xf301 sedum blanket system with integrated water retention and filter layer. Roofs that are easy to access can be suitable for growing hardy herbs such as thyme prostrate rosemary or chives. Flat roofing is not actually flat. A roof garden usually consists of larger planters filled with a mix of evergreens flowers shrubs and grasses.

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. It has a very low slope between 1 4 to 1 2 inch per foot so that it drains water. But such a low slope holds snow and water much longer than a steeply pitched roof and therefore needs a very different material to stay watertight. 2 al40 edge trim frames and retains the xf301 system.

A step up in size and cost from sedums is wildflowers especially hardier lower growing natives alpine plants and bulbs. Lightweight but sturdy resists shrinkage and wind displacement stable to support plants soil. Some companies such as green tech ltd offer a range of light weight soils and composts suitable for roof gardening. Ensure the container is lightweight and has ample drainage holes in the base.

Use a layer of lightweight drainage material at the base of the container such as polystyrene plant trays broken into crocks. A green roof usually consists of shallow plastic or metal trays filled with sedums grasses or perennial wildflowers. Sedum vegetation blanket instantly providing at least 90 coverage on an extensive green roof. The heart shape foliage on the shrub or small tree which can reach 10 feet tall and is hardy in zones 4 8 is interesting too.