The wildlife potential of a Green Roof Shelter (interactive)

Examples of what our Green Roofed Shelters are planted with, and what our habitat walls provide.

Fuller plant lists can be found on the 'Featured Plants' page

: Chives, garlic/wild or culinary
Allium schoenoprasum

Great green roof plant, survives some of the driest conditions. One of few plants to make it through the spring 2011 drought. Great nectar source and eats and smells lovely. A must have.; Reflexed Stonecrop, Blue Stonecrop, Jenny's Stonecrop or Prick-Madam
Sedum Reflexum

Another plant to act as default if a roof never gets any attention or water. Been to many old green roofs, including my own house and this is always there! It's arched flower heads look great even before flowering.; Ox Eye Daisy
Leucanthemum Vulgare

Green roofs are great at taming the slightly thuggish behaviour of plants at ground level. Ox eye daisies can sometimes dominate ground flora but on a roof they tend to form small clumps and with their stressed narrow stems they allow other plants to grow in and around them. Very reminiscent of the way they look in very low fertility old meadows. You will sometimes lose these in substrates less than 150mm but as this year has shown the seed readily germinates back into the roof opened up by the drought. Great plant.; Quaking Grass
Briza media

Generally we avoid adding grass to our roofs but I can't resist this one, nice clump former and beautiful delicate seed heads. For a taller bulkier grass on 150mm plus substrate use Miscanthus sinensis, non native, low wildlife value but gives a contrast and height.; Fox and Cubs
Pilosella Aurantiaca

Really useful with an unusual orange colour flower. Spreads with runners, good nectar source.; Thyme. Wild and cultivars
Thymus Vulgaris

Another mainstay for a green roof, useful along the roof edge. Combine with wild basil and marjoram to get that wonderful sunny smell when wandering over your roof!; Small Scabious
Scabiosa Columbaria

Always worth trying although can be driven out by severe drought. Its elegant flower spikes are topped with mauve/purple flowers full of nectar.; Wood Sage
Teucrium Scorodonia

Good plant for sun and I've found it does well in light shade.; Wild Dyers Camomile
Anthemis Tinctoria

Lovely yellow flower on grey fern like leaves, I prefer this to the white corn camomile and gives reliable bright yellow flowers. Nice open form that fits well on a roof of 100-150mm.; Red Valerian
Centranthus Ruber

I really like this plant, it grows steadily on roofs but doesn't seem to spread and be as happy as I would have thought. Still adding into the mixes we use as I may not have put it on a roof that suits it yet.; Dark Mullien
Verbascum Nigrum

Gives useful height on the roof, its a good nectar source and host for the Spectacular Moth mullien caterpillar.; Vipers Bugloss
Echium Vulgare

Bi-annual plant but does seed back into the roof and has persisted on many of our roofs.; Annuals: Corn Poppy, Cornflowers, California poppy and many more
Various

Always worth adding a few annuals seeds into the roof when you plant, they give a bit of first year colour and often reappear when the sward opens up after a prolonged drought. Don't use anymore than 1gram/sq.metre as they may become too dominant in the first year.; Roof Closure Panel

The roof-closure panel can be made to allow access to pipistrelle bats for roosting, or particular nesting bird species. Birdboxes can also be part of the closure panel.; Re-used Shipping Container

The re-used shipping container has often travelled more than 50,000 miles, and remains a robust structure ready for re-use.; Sawn Logs

Sawn logs, drilled for solitary bees to lay eggs.; Sand panel

Sand panel for miner bees to bore holes and lay eggs.; Barkpiles
Various

Barkpiles as invertebrate habitat, or sheeps wool as nest-lining material for various birds.; Straw

Straw as a nest-building material for birds.; Nesting Box

Nesting box for bird species such as Robins.; Bundled Willow

Bundled willow thinnings used as an experiment to see what might inhabit them.; Reclaimed Timber Framing; Logpiles

Logpiles vary humidity and shade, providing shelter for invertebrates.; Gabion Edges

As well as retaining the growing substrate, the gabion edges allow more of the green roof to be seen from the ground, and provide habitat and shelter for varied spiders, beetles and other invertebrates.