Roof Systems Of Prairie Plants

Ferns such as polypodium vulgare and asplenium trichomanes could be used in dry shady conditions.

Roof systems of prairie plants.

Try dry habitat perennials and. Volume 7 number 1 143 prairie based green roofs. Coffmane and gord kochf aun lincoln department of agronomy and horticulture and the program in landscape architecture 279 plant sciences lincoln ne usa 68583 0915 402 472 1127 rsutton1 unl edu corresponding author. Harringtonb lee skabelundc peter macdonaghd reid r.

The above ground part of the plant provides food for other living organisms oxygen for the atmosphere habitats for other living creatures and fuel for the prairie fires in the fall. One can literally create a prairie or shade garden on the roof. Mat forming species of sedum sempervivum and moss are good choices. With 6 inch soil depth it becomes possible to support a broad array of non succulent plants.

Common sedum species used include sedum acre s. Diboll sells customized seed mixes for sandy or clay soils and wet or dry. 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. Because she didn t have to buy many plants their 1 200 grant from the watershed district covered the majority of the roofing project.

The natural properties of sedum make this succulent plant extremely suitable for roof greening. Moisture loving plants are found closest to or in the water while less moisture dependent plants or plants with deep roots are found as you move up the banks towards the upland areas. Sedum also often known as stonecrop is a genus of the crassulaceae family of succulent plants. Most are prairie plants native to the chicago region.

This family consists of four to five hundred species and thousands of different varieties. The plants were selected for their ability to thrive in the conditions on the roof which is exposed to the sun and can be windy and arid. The deep system is used for biodiverse green roofs. Some gardeners use prairie plants to overcome landscaping obstacles such as stabilizing a steep hillside planting on septic drain fields or penetrating hard to work soils.

Eighty percent came from what i already had in the yard diane said of the sedum day lilies herbs and prairie plants collected over the years and recently relocated to the garage roof. Also many of the hardy highly adaptable prairie plants grow nicely outside their native region. Album delosperma could be tried in a sunny frost free area. Literature templates and analogs richard k.

Many people don t understand the importance of the enormous root systems of some of prairie plants.