With an ever-expanding range of successful green roof plants to choose from, how do you make the most of the variety available in a cost effective, sensible way? 1)      Are you creating a garden or a machine? Always have a priority list of exactly what jobs your green roof needs to accomplish before starting to…

A big driver for green roofing these days is flood mitigation by control of surface water runoff, and so it should be given the serious effects of flooding in recent years. Can green roofs really make a difference? Certainly, although I will always argue that they are not a substitute for responsible environmental planning. Green…

  Have you ever wondered how to have a vibrant roof with reasonable coverage and prolific flowering, without needing too much maintenance? For many this may be the ideal of how a green roof should be. There will always be a trade-off, just as any ground level garden needs maintenance to keep looking good, but…

    For any who missed my seminar at Futurescape, here is a brief summary of my main points. To begin with, here are some easy definitions of some of our industry jargon. Green urban infrastructure: the science (and art) of trying to squeeze plants into places otherwise dominated by concrete and tarmac. It goes…

Following last month’s blog about the world green roof congress, I promised the second revelation that will influence how I think about green roofing. From the macro to the micro, this inspiration came from Heather Bumble’s research into the micro-organisms living in green roof substrates.   Green roofs are gaining popularity as a way to…

From now on you will no longer need to go to a different website to access our blog. All our new posts will be here, under one roof. We have added the last 3 posts here on the new site but if you would like to read the older posts you can read them at…

It is always great to see new ways of doing things. The World Green Roof Congress in Copenhagen last week offered a chance to see Scandinavian styles of green roofing, ranging from large impressive projects in Sweden to tricky and challenging roofs in Copenhagen city centre. For me there were two great revelations in the…

How many species can you really fit on one roof? The birds and the bees have been the focus of much attention recently, and finding creative and exciting ways of sustaining them has become much more than a new trend. This is not a marketing report for Ann Summers, but a reference to the ways…

If you want to find a green roof that really excites passion and inspires people to love the idea of green roofing, my advice is head to Sharrow School in Sheffield. This is one of the most famous green roofs in the country, made by volunteers under the guidance of University of Sheffield expert Jeff…