Lightweight Plants For Flat Roofs In Dry Colorado Climates

Certain grasses sage and plants of the composite family like asters daisies zinnia black eyed susan or chamomile and marigolds are possible.

Lightweight plants for flat roofs in dry colorado climates.

Flat roofs are an ancient form mostly used in arid climates in some places allowing the roof space to be used as a living space. For a green roof to function correctly selecting the correct substrate is fundamentally important for minimising the load on the structure of the building and for ensuring the long term health of the plants. Heat gets absorbed in dark materials used in the exterior of houses. If you have a shady terrace facing north look for varieties of ferns and other shade loving plants like english ivy impatiens and balsams.

Plants also improve air quality by releasing oxygen. Hot dry climate you will need to be careful of the plants you select but overall many forms of cold hardy carnivorous plants will grow well for you. Installation of plants on the top of roofs is an effective solution to overcome this problem. Ornamental grasses hardy with few maintenance needs and year round structure to boot are a good fit for rooftop gardens and blue fescue festuca glauca can be used in containers in a border or as an edging plant.

Although it s not a native colorado plant it prefers a dry climate so it s good for xeriscaping. It is hardy in zones 4 8 and reaches just 10 inches tall. It improves the chemical and physical characteristics of the. Professionals install a waterproof membrane over the roof surface so that water does not affect the structure of your house.

Russian sage prefers well drained soil and a lot of sunshine. A range of annual and biennial plants can be used successfully on green roofs and tend to fall into two distinct groups. You won t need to water established russian sage too much as it likes dry soil but water moderately when plants are young or transplanted. These will include flytraps many forms of the sarracenia pitcher plant and sundews from the southern regions of the united states.

Quick growing annuals and ephemerals particularly those originating from dry and arid climates can be spectacular additions to display plantings but will need irrigation to be sustained for longer periods. A growth substrate of laterlite agri expanded clay mixed with other components peat compost etc offers many advantages. Most modern roofing materials and codes require a positive slope that will dry out within 72 hours thus even a flat roof needs some slope nowadays.