If your roof is flat or only slightly sloped and receives a lot of sunlight, it may be a candidate for a green roof. Green roofs are a lot more reasonably priced to install than solar panels, which are out of financial reach for many homeowners, and help the environment by cooling the air and cutting energy costs in the home. You first step should be to have a professional determine if a green roof will work on your home (find one at greenroofs.net or greenroofs.com). Sarah Murphy of D.C. Greenworks in Washington, D.C., advises that there is no one perfect green-roof plant. "It all depends on the climate, the rainfall, and the design of your particular roof." Some of her favorites for creating colors and patterns: Sedum spurium 'Voodoo.' This rust-colored succulent produces brilliant red flowers in the fall and is hardy to Zone 4. Interplant it with the white variety, S. spurium var. album, to create interesting designs on the roof. Allium schoenoprasum. This allium may be better known to gardeners as chives. The spiky green leaves and pink, sphere-shaped blossoms attract pollinators and provide a natural, grassy look. Heuchera. This well-loved blooming groundcover also works on roofs that get some shade. Because heuchera come in such a wide range of colors, from peach to chartreuse to bronze, the design options are endless. Are you green-roof-ready? Take the quiz here. Looking for plants for your own green roof? Ed Snodgrass supplies green-roof plants through his business, Emory Knoll Farms. Green Roofs for Healthy Cities has resources and information that will help with green-roof construction. Planning to visit San Francisco? See the largest green roof in California atop the new California Academy of Sciences.
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