Composites – Dandelions are good on a green roof

Composites are great green roof plants. From the annuals, like camomile, to dandelions, they all provide a good nectar source. Pollinators, especially solitary bees, love to bath in the yellow flower heads. Dandelions are the new fad! Actually dandelions would appear...

Scabious – late summer green roof plant

Scabious may sound un attractive but they are a beautiful group of plants. Furthermore the species tend to flower late in the summer. Three species of Scabious We have three native ones here in the UK – Small, Field and Devil’s bit.  Small is the one for...

Native alliums – green roof plants US to UK

Alliums are always a great choice for green roofs. Furthermore there are native allium species across North America and Europe (including the UK and France. In fact Allium schoenoprasum, one of the most commonly used has a circumpolar distribution. Called chives in...

Green roof plants – Quebec Canada

Using plant hardiness zones, we have added a green roof planting guide for Quebec and Eastern Canada. It is not a definitive list but gives members an overview of what plants are potentially useable in these areas. The authors are not from Canada, We have have visited...

Dungeness – place for tough plants

Tough plants are needed for green roofs, as a cool post by Kelly Ksiazek  in Chicago at the same time as we were visiting Dungeness. And you can’t get any tougher than here. Dungeness is the largest shingle bank in Europe. Here desiccation is the order of the day....

Seeds – Spreading wildflower love

Collecting seeds for a small green roof at this time of year (July) is a good idea. The early flowers are turning and their seed pods are ripe for collecting. Further collections can be undertaken for late flowering plants in August and late September.   This...