Green Roof Plants: A Resource and Planting Guide - Hardcover

Snodgrass, Edmund C.; Snodgrass, Lucie L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0881927872 ISBN 13: 9780881927870

Publisher: Timber Press, 2006

Synopsis

In just a few years, green roofs have gone from a horticultural curiosity to a booming growth industry — primarily because the environmental benefits of extensively planted roofs are now beyond dispute, whether for industrial or governmental complexes or for private homes in urban or suburban settings. Despite the high level of interest in green roofs, until now there has been no reliable reference devoted exclusively to the various species of drought-tolerant plants that are suitable for use on extensive green roofs. Green Roof Plants fills that void. The book contains photographs and cultural information for more than 200 species and cultivars of plants, including valuable data on moisture needs, heat tolerance, hardiness, bloom color, foliage characteristics, and height. Concise, accurate, and easy to use, this book is destined to become an indispensable practical reference guide, not just for architects, landscape designers, engineers, and environmentalists, but also for environmentally conscious home gardeners.

About this title

About the Author

Edmund C. Snodgrass is president and founder of Emory Knoll Farms, Inc. and Green Roof Plants, North America’s first nursery specializing in green roof plants and horticultural consulting. Snodgrass collaborates on green roof research with academic institutions including Penn State University, University of Melbourne, University of Maryland, University of Auckland, and Sheffield University. A popular speaker and published author, he lectures widely and has been featured in The New York Times and on the Sundance Channel’s Ecobiz documentary series. 


Lucie L. Snodgrass is a passionate gardener and professional writer. Before teaching at the college level, she served as a policy advisor in state and federal government. Lucie holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University.

Reviews

Although relatively commonplace in Japan and throughout Europe, green roof gardening is just a grassroots movement in the U.S. But ecological and economic concerns are pushing what was once a landscaping anomaly into the forefront of environmental design. It is, however, not as simple as merely re-creating a ground-level garden high atop a building. Green roof gardening must take into consideration structural engineering issues such as load bearing, waterproofing, insulation, drainage, and maintenance. These same concerns make selecting suitable plant material a challenge. The authors have compiled the first reference tool designed to help green roof gardeners determine the best drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, temperature-hardy plants. Supported by 300-plus color photographs and including cultural details on more than 200 species and cultivars, this is an essential resource for home gardeners and landscape architects and designers looking for environmentally friendly choices. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The idea of greening a roof is not a new one and, in fact, dates back thousands of years. Civilizations in Mesopotamia originated the concept (Dunnett and Kingsbury 2004), and Greeks, Romans, Persians, and other cultures had some form of roof gardens to green and cool their often brutally hot landscapes. The famed "hanging gardens of Babylon," for example, were actually planted on rooftops. At the other climatic extreme, sod roofs have long graced homes in Scandinavia, providing extra warmth and insulation in cold, wet climates. Nature itself is the inspiration for green roofs, depositing seeds that germinate in leaf, dirt, and rock piles on garden sheds, in gutters, and on seemingly inhospitable, often flat, stretches of roof.

Green roofs did not attain widespread use until more recent times, and then only in parts of northern Europe, where the scarcity of land for new buildings, combined with the development of new roofing materials like concrete, were driving forces behind their modern adaptation. When Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and other countries embarked on a post-World War II building campaign, they utilized green roofs for practical, environmental, and aesthetic purposes. As cities expanded to the edges of the countryside, green roofs represented an innovative way to preserve green space, reduce the impact of development, and help filter and purify the air. Planted roofs increased oxygen output, softened urban streetscapes, reduced impervious surfaces, and contained storm water runoff to vital tributaries and major bodies of water that supplied drinking water to millions of people.

Edition details

• Publisher: Timber Press
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0881927872
• ISBN 13: 9780881927870
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 204