Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Wednesday - January 14, 2009

From: Halifax, NS
Region: Canada
Topic: Green Roofs
Title: Best performing species on green roofs
Answered by: Dr. Mark Simmons and Joe Marcus

QUESTION:

Hello, I am a graduate student in Nova Scotia Canada studying native plant communities on green roofs. I have been reading about the native planted green roof at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and am interested to know how well the native plants performed and survived in your region of the world. Thank you, and great website!

ANSWER:

We wish we could give you a more definitive answer, but it's still a bit too early.  Right now we are still analyzing the data. There is considerable variation both among plant types and among roof types (i.e. a plant that does well on one roof type may do poorly on another). Although there are many exceptions, overall, as a guide, the grasses seem to do the best. The list can be found at http://www.wildflower.org/collections/collection.php?collection=greenroof_species

 

More Green Roofs Questions

Native perennial roof garden plants for New York
November 09, 2006 - I am looking for perennial roof gardens plants, sedum, hen and chickens, native plants. I am in zone six. They will have three inches of perilite, gravel, and compost. Can you give me a good local so...
view the full question and answer

Planning and designing a green roof from Austin
April 30, 2011 - I am in the planning stage to decide about planting a green roof as part of new construction. My ideal plant life on the green roof would have minimal root structure (deeper roots mean deeper soil mea...
view the full question and answer

Stick with tried and true plants for a green roof in New York
May 12, 2013 - If I use Virginia creepers in a ground covered application for a green roof, how much soil should I provide depth wise?
view the full question and answer

Plants for green roof gardens in Beijing, China
April 20, 2006 - I`m wondering if you would know what plants native to the area around Beijing China would be good candidates for extensive green roof gardens? Also, do you think that those hearty little pesky plants ...
view the full question and answer

Need Plants and Soil for a Green Roof in Buffalo, TX
September 13, 2010 - I'm building a green roof on my cabin in the Buffalo, Texas, area. Would you know what soil and plants would be best suited for that area? I have a lot of sand I could use, but didn't know if that...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.