Good Neighbors

(Page 4 of 4)

March/April 2008
By Amy Grisak 
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The green roof also helps blend the home into the landscape—and gives the neighbors something to look at and enjoy. More practically, it reduces the building’s surface temperature—minimizing cooling costs—and provides insulation in winter.

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A flat roof in Montana has to be strong enough for heavy snow. James and Mary used 8-by-12 timbers on 4-foot centers and used a commercial-grade roof system with a waterproof membrane. Over that, Mary layered an inch of insulation followed by a mix of topsoil, compost and perlite for planting; she mulches everything with bark chips.

The roof garden features stone paths filled with thyme and circular designs created from mixed sedum, sempervivums and other succulents in myriad colors. "The rock patio is a great place to take a glass of wine in the evening or to sit and stargaze," Mary says. "Especially if there’s a fire in the firepit."

Plants for Roof Gardens

■ Basket of Gold (Alyssum montanum ‘Mountain Gold’)

■ Cacti (Escobaria leei ‘Lee’s dwarf snowball’)

■ Hens and chicks (Sempervivum spp.)

■ Ice plant (Delosperma)

■ Native grasses (Buffalo grass, bluestem, blue grama, perennial ryegrass, blue fescue)

■ Creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera)

■ Sedum (Sedum spp.): ‘Dragon’s Blood’, ‘Tri-colored’, ‘Golden Carpet’, ‘Angelina’, ‘Stonecrop’)

■ Thymes (Thymus vulgaris): ‘Wooly’, ‘Pink Chintz’, ‘Creeping Pink’, ‘Elfin’)

■ Snow-in-Summer (Cerastium tomentosum)

Source: Green Roof Plants: A Resource and Planting Guide by Edmund and Lucie Snodgrass (Timber Press, 2006)

Builder: James Boyes, A Different Perspective: (406) 844-3144

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