Green Living Roof

I don't profess to know how to install a green living roof. But I do tend to one and am completely convinced of their usefulness and sheer will to survive the toughest of environments.

The key is selecting plant material that can tolerate the extremes - making sure there is proper drainage.

Plants I can ID in the above photo: (all native)

• Fragaria virginiana - Wild Strawberry
• Coreopsis tripteris - Tickseed
• Rudbeckia hirta - Black Eyed Susan
• Gaillardia pulchella - Blanket Flower
• Deullingeria umbellata - Flat Topped White Aster
• Symphyotrichum ciliolatum - Blue Fringed Aster
• Sedum acre - Stonecrop

Some plants are already dormant at this stage.

No required mowing or mulching. Leaving the seed heads is key. Self germination will determine which of the plants listed above will prosper. Making an ecosystem of its own.

The occasional intruder is what I am after. Bird droppings and the wind carry some deadly weeds, tree seedlings and grass that will unravel the balance of what works.

This is a rather large area and it's just amazing to see torrential rains get absorbed by this living roof. I would hate to see the alternative.

The best part - the VIEW! lol