Green Roof Plants: A Resource and Planting Guide [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by Edmund C. Snodgrass (Author), Lucie L. Snodgrass (Author) "THE IDEA OF GREENING A ROOF dates back thousands of years..." (more)
Key Phrases: deep full sun, green roof plants, extensive green roofs, North America, Asia Height, Accent Self (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Although relatively commonplace in Japan and throughout Europe, green roof gardening is just a grassroots movement in the U.S. But ecological and economic concerns are pushing what was once a landscaping anomaly into the forefront of environmental design. It is, however, not as simple as merely re-creating a ground-level garden high atop a building. Green roof gardening must take into consideration structural engineering issues such as load bearing, waterproofing, insulation, drainage, and maintenance. These same concerns make selecting suitable plant material a challenge. The authors have compiled the first reference tool designed to help green roof gardeners determine the best drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, temperature-hardy plants. Supported by 300-plus color photographs and including cultural details on more than 200 species and cultivars, this is an essential resource for home gardeners and landscape architects and designers looking for environmentally friendly choices. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Edmund Snodgrass, a [green roof] pioneer...provides an overview of green roofs, from their benefits and challenges to their design and construction to their plant selection...this useful guide targeted to green-roof industry professionals will also interest a general audience." -- Library Journal, September 2006

"Supported by 300-plus color photographs and including cultural details on more than 200 species and cultivars, this is an essential resource for home gardeners, landscape architects, and designers looking for environmentally friendly choices."—Carol Haggas, Booklist, October 2006 (Carol Haggas Booklist )

Supported by 300-plus color photographs and including cultural details on more than 200 species and cultivars, this is an essential resource for home gardeners, landscape architects, and designers looking for environmentally friendly choices.Carol Haggas, Booklist, October 2006 (Booklist )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 220 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press, Incorporated (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881927872
• ISBN-13: 978-0881927870
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,629 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Civil > Construction > Roofing
  #14 in	Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > Ornamental Plants
  #47 in	Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > Garden Design

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a must read on Greenroof plants, January 11, 2007

By	Robert Long (Western NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am in the greenroof nursery business and found Ed Snodgrass' book informative, well organized and written. It is going to serve as one of the most useful reference books in my business library. It will be especially useful for greenroof planners when deciding on plant species to use.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Guide by the Definitve Experts, October 27, 2007

By	Steven Seelig (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I first must confess that have a green roof on my 2 car rear garage here in Washington, DC and worked directly with the author on choosing the proper plants to thrive in our little micro-climate. So I already know the Snodgrass' are the pre-eminent experts in the United States on the types of plants suitable for a given situation.

That being said, this book provides an invaluable resource for those interested in, or who may become interested in, having a green roof for their home. When we installed our roof 4 years ago, had we not met the authors we would have had great difficulty in even knowing where to begin. Now all of us have that starting point: by reading Green Roof Plants.

And don't think you must be an environmentalist to consider installing a green roof - many do so simply for the aesthetics. In fact, as city dwellers with limited space, we chose a green roof to have something beautiful to view from our kitchen. I suspect there are many of you who really never have thought of having a green roof and would be consigned to a lifetime of looking down or up at a plain shingled, painted or tarred roof. Don't be that homeowner! Installation of a green roof adds perhaps 10-20% to the cost of a painted roof, extend the roof's life and provides significant environmental benefits. Go for it, and buy this book first!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A basic overview of green roof plants, January 15, 2007

By	James Barnard (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book gives a basic introduction to Vegetated roofs and then provides the best comprehensive and well organized list of potential roof plants I've seen so far. Its going to be an excellent reference book when we begin to experiment with different plant varieties atop our manhattan apartment building.