Planting a Live Green Roof

Green building practices have garnered quite a bit of attention recently as architects, developers, and property owners seek to gain LEED certification for their buildings. One outcome of this movement is increasing interest in green roofs.

Green roofs are simply rooftops covered in vegetation growing atop a waterproof membrane. In addition to beautifying a rooftop, green roofs can help to lower the heating and cooling costs for a building. Additional environmental benefits include reducing stormwater runoff and improving air quality in the area surrounding a building.

One of the common myths surrounding green roofs is that plants must be grown from seed. Recently, E-Landscape installed a green roof at the Elkton Senior Apartments, a 60 unit senior living facility in Elkton, Maryland. Because the developer wanted the project to have a finished look for the projected move-in date, we selected the Live Roof brand hybrid green roof system. The Live Roof system is designed for easy installation, with modular planting beds that interlock to form a seemless roofing system. In addition, Live Roof kits come complete with established plant material at least 1 inch high, vastly increasing the likelihood that the plants will survive and thrive in their new environment.

The results of our work at the Elkton Senior Apartments speak for themselves!