Green Roof Plant Blog

Photo Credit: Prairie Moon Nursery

Also known as June Grass, this plant is native to North America, Europe and Asia. This perennial is more of a 'cool-season' grass, although it still appreciates full sun exposure. Blooming in late spring, the silvery-pale green flowers blow in the summer breezes. This plant will possible go dormant in the summer months if the heat becomes too intense, but in cooler climates will thrive until the autumn months. The shallow root system will allow this grass to become about one to two feet high. It will tolerate dry soils and drought along with air pollution. Growing best in hardiness zones 3 through 9, and this ornamental grass will self-seed itself in optimum growing conditions. Growing mainly in clumps, it is a relatively low-maintenance plant.

Photo Credit: Kelly D. Norris, 2011

Located North of Chicago, nestled on the Wisconsin-Illinois border, is a wholesale container nursery called Intrinsic Perennial Gardens. Started in 1992, they specialize mainly in one gallon perennials, including ferns, grasses, shrubs, vines and green roof plants.

A Family owned and operated company, Brent Horvath is the current owner of Intrinsic Perennial Gardens. But the family business stretches way back into the 1970s, when his father, Lajos, created Intrinsic Landscaping and his mother, Trudy, ran Flowers by Intrinsic. In 2002, Jörg Breuning introduced modern green roof technology to Brent and his brother, Kurt, of Intrinsic Landscaping. Working together, our companies created the green roof on the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago. Not only is Brent the president of Intrinsic Perennial Gardens, he has recently shared with us a list of his top picks of native plants which would specifically flourish on green roofs. Also in the line to appear on bookshelves in the fall is a book by Brent on Sedum, published by Timber Press.

 
Geum x Sea Breeze   Photo credit: Intrinsic Perennial Gardens

Intrinsic Perennial Gardens strives to grow the best ornamental plants as naturally as possible. Their unique operation allows them to breed and introduce new plants into the trade. They offer over 900 varieties of species, 50 of which have been selected, bred and introduced into their nursery. They propagate around 80% of their own material. Approximately a third is done by seed, a third by cuttings and a third by division. Included on their 23 acre farm is a one acre field specifically for plug production. 

Photo courtesy of Kirk Prairie 2008

Also known as Prairie Smoke or the Old Man's Whiskers, this herbaceous perennial is one of the first to show it's true colors in the spring. Blooming a bold red, this wildflower is a native to northern America. Residing mainly on prairie fields, Geum triflorum loves the sunshine, and is also known to be drought tolerant. A wildflower of the Rosaceae (rose) family, it flourishes in hardiness zones 3-9, and is quite the attraction for bees and butterflies. Growing anywhere from six inches to a foot and a half tall, the fern-like leaves make way for the plume-tipped fruits. Bowing like they just finished a spectacular show, these bulbs will eventually transform into feathery seed tails, in hopes of spreading their seeds. This feathery appearance has also been mistaken as a cloud of smoke.

Prairie Smokes was highlighted as a favorite native green roof plant by Brent Horvath, the owner of Intrinsic Perennial Gardens in Northern Illinois.