Over the last two decades, green roofs and green walls have emerged as popular ways to garden and help the environment too.
We have assembled a list of many great plants for green roofs from our massive on-line plant catalog and have included plants that are widely used. A good green roof will have at least 10 different plant species in order to provide visual interest, attract the widest variety of wildlife, and prevent the disease problems of monoculture (if one species falters, there are several others to replace it). Due to climatic differences, a green roof in Seattle will have different plants than a green roof in Atlanta.
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Echeveria runyonii 'Topsy Turvy'
Item #: 8928
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Mexico
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Erigeron karvinskianus 'Profusion'
Item #: 9985
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Mexico
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Erigeron pulchellus 'Meadow Muffin'
Item #: 1547
Zones: 5a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Erysimum pulchellum
Item #: 15375
Zones: 6a to 8a, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 2" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Armenia, Iran, Turkey
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per
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Eucomis comosa 'Sparkling Burgundy'
Item #: 1796
Zones: 6b to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 20" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: South Africa
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $26.00Regular priceUnit price per
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Eupatorium greggii
Item #: 3668
Zones: 7a to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outEuphorbia corollata 'Carolina Snow'
Item #: 4316
Zones: 3a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Euphorbia myrsinites
Item #: 4041
Zones: 5a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Southern Europe
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Euphorbia robbiae
Item #: 1293
Zones: 6a to 8b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Asia Minor
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Eurybia hemispherica 'Baby Blues'
Item #: 17603
Zones: 4a to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Festuca arundinacea 'Glow Sticks' PP 34,648
Item #: 17053
Zones: 3a to 8a
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: Europe
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Festuca 'Cool as Ice' PP 27,651
Item #: 11754
Zones: 4a to 7b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Gaillardia aestivalis 'Glitz 'n Glamour'
Item #: 15525
Zones: 7a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 26" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Gaura lindheimeri 'Pink Cloud'
Item #: 3989
Zones: 6a to 10b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outGeranium 'Dragon Heart'
Item #: 8661
Zones: 5a to 7b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outGeranium phaeum 'Samobor'
Item #: 4123
Zones: 4a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Croatia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Geranium 'Rozanne'
Item #: 5111
Zones: 5a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 15" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Gloxinia 'Little Red'
Item #: 11082
Zones: 7b to 9b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 16" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Gloxinia nematanthodes 'Evita'
Item #: 5556
Zones: 7b to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Argentina
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outHabranthus brachyandrus
Item #: 2680
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 15" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: South America
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outHesperaloe engelmannii 'San Saba'
Item #: 17481
Zones: 7a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 42" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Hesperaloe parviflora
Item #: 917
Zones: 6a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Indigofera kirilowii 'Bernheim'
Item #: 11083
Zones: 4b to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 60" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: China, Japan, Korea
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Indigofera kirilowii 'Christo'
Item #: 674
Zones: 4b to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per
More Information About Green Roofs
What do you do when you run out of room in your garden for new plants? Look up and you'll see the answer. Over the last two decades, green roofs and green walls have emerged as popular ways to garden and help the environment too.
What is the purpose of a green roof?
Other than aesthetics (plants for green roofs look great!) green roofs help the environment and reduce electricity consumption. Much like a shade tree, a green roof prevents sunlight from warming buildings during summer. Plants for green roofs also transpire water which provides evaporative cooling during summer. Green roof plants reduce winter heating costs because of their insulating effect. Plants for green roofs filter air pollutants and reduce stormwater runoff, keeping the local air and water clean.
What are the best green roof plants?
Any drought-tolerant, heat-tolerant, wind-tolerant, low-maintenance, sun-loving plant with a shallow root system is a good candidate for a green roof garden. Nationwide, the most widely used plants for green roofs include Sedum, Carex, Sempervivum, Opuntia cactus, Aster, Oregano, Dianthus, Rudbeckia, to name just a few.
Our list of plants for green roofs includes both extensive and semi-intensive green roof species for a variety of environments nationwide. Not every plant on this list will work well on every green roof. Green roofs are a fairly new field and we are always discovering new plants that perform well, so check back often for periodic updates.