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  5. 15 Best Plants for Rooftop Gardening

15 Best Plants for Rooftop Gardening

Viveka Neveln Headshot
By Viveka Neveln February 19, 2016
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Maidengrass
From groundcovers to shrubs, here are top-notch plants and trees for rooftop gardening.
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Kousa Dogwood

Kousa Dogwood

Hardy to Zone 5, Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) stays small for a tree, with some varieties maxing out at just about 30 feet, making it an excellent foundation planting for a rooftop garden. In spring, the tree has small but beautiful white to pink flowers, which transition to deep green summertime foliage. Autumn offers its own benefits, with red-purple leaves and fruit (which starts to appear in August).

  • Learn more about Kousa dogwood.

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Harry Lauder's Walking Stick

Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick

A deciduous shrub with a funky common name -- Harry Lauder's walking stick -- Corylus avellana 'Contorta' twists itself into seemingly unfathomable shapes that are good sculptural plant accents to a rooftop garden. The heart-shape foliage on the shrub or small tree, which can reach 10 feet tall and is hardy in Zones 4-8, is interesting, too.

Note: This plant can be invasive in some areas; check local restrictions before planting it.

  • Learn more about Harry Lauder's walking stick.

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'Blue Star' Juniper

'Blue Star’ Juniper

Also called singleseed juniper, Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star' shines with skinny needles that have a definite silvery-blue cast. Hardy in Zones 4-8, the dwarf juniper -- which puts out mounds of needles on a shrub that reaches about 3 feet tall -- is a good accent or container variety for rooftop gardens.

  • Learn more about junipers.
  • Discover more wonderful evergreens.

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Dwarf Hinoki Cypress

Dwarf Hinoki Cypress

Fanlike foliage and a yellowish-green color are two standout characteristics of golden dwarf hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Lutea'). Extremely slow-growing, the evergreen will reach only 3 feet tall at its mature height. It needs a regular watering schedule but is otherwise wonderfully low-care. Hardy in Zones 5-9, the evergreen brightens corners on a rooftop garden or works well with other plants in container combinations.

  • Learn about other Hinoki cypress varieties.
  • Get tips for landscaping with evergreens.

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'Fanal' Astilbe

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Great for shadier spots on a rooftop, Astilbe 'Fanal' rewards gardeners with rich crimson color that blooms midsummer (typically July). A good perennial plant for the middle of the border, astilbe shoots up stalks of about a foot-and-a-half and is hardy in Zones 3-8. It does best in moist soil; don't allow astilbe to dry out.

  • Learn more about astilbe.

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'Big Daddy' Hosta

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

Integrating impressively sized hosta into shadier spots on a rooftop garden is a terrific way to add beautiful foliage to the space. Hosta 'Big Daddy', hardy in Zones 3-8, is just one choice; its blue-green leaves offer rich, deep color and are big enough to cut as foliage for bouquets -- perfect for multitasking rooftop gardening plants.

  • Learn more about hosta.

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Ajuga

Ajuga

A groundcover that is attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds, Ajuga reptans, hardy in Zones 3-9, needs water on rooftops but rewards with steady growth. 'Silver Beauty' (pictured) is one good choice, as is 'Bronze Beauty', which has deep blue flowers and bronze-tinged foliage.

  • Learn more about ajuga.
  • Discover other top groundcovers.

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Lavender

Lavender

Beloved for scent, lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is a member of the mint family and native of the Mediterranean, so it weathers the windy and dry conditions of a rooftop garden well. Its beautiful, gray-green foliage reaches heights of about a foot and a half, making it a good fit for either containers or full-fledged rooftop garden beds. Zones 5-9

  • Learn more about lavender.

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Daylily

Daylily

Most daylilies are fairly hardy, and their consistent blooms mean that they offer rooftop gardeners a good way to add color. Try Hemerocallis 'Anna Warner', which has pinkish-lavender blooms and does well in full sun. Strappy foliage reaches about 2 feet in height, and the plant thrives in a huge Zone range -- 3-9 -- so you can enjoy it just about anywhere.

  • Learn more about daylilies.

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Lamb's-Ears

Lamb’s-Ears

A nice fit for low-growing borders or the front of flower beds, Stachys byzantina, or lamb's-ears, has a distinctive soft, feathery feel to the silver-gray foliage. In the ground it tends to spread, so it may be best for containers on rooftop gardens. If the purplish blooms get leggy in summertime, cut them back. Zones 4-10

  • Learn more about lamb's-ears.

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Japanese Wisteria

Japanese Wisteria

With fragrant blooms that hang like grapes, showy wisteria is a much-admired woody vine. Wisteria 'Blue Moon' rewards even more with a trio of bloom times in the growing season; the plant is hardy in Zones 4-9. Its rambling vines are a great accent over a rooftop garden trellis or pergola.

Note: Wisteria can be invasive in some areas; check local restrictions before planting it. Parts of this plant are also poisonous.

  • Learn more about wisteria.
  • Check out these other vines.

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'Gold Flame' Honeysuckle

'Gold Flame' Honeysuckle

A cascade of 'Gold Flame' honeysuckle (Lonicera x heckrottii 'Gold Flame') is a great way to attract hummingbirds and butterflies to a rooftop garden. It begins blooming in late spring, with delicate pale pink to deep magenta blossoms that are incredibly fragrant. Hardy in Zones 5-8, honeysuckle vine reaches about 20 feet in length, making it a good fit for a trellis or above a rooftop porch structure.

  • Learn more about honeysuckle.
  • Check out these other vines.

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Climbing Hydrangea

Climbing Hydrangea

Creamy white blooms decorate the vines of this self-adhering plant, which can reach an astonishing 60 feet long. However, climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris), hardy in Zones 4-8, is easy to prune and rewards with those springtime flowers as well as a stunning autumn color transformation, when the green leaves turn to a bright yellow.

  • Learn more about climbing hydrangea.
  • Check out these other vines.

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Blue Fescue

Blue Fescue

Ornamental grasses -- hardy, with few maintenance needs and year-round structure to boot -- are a good fit for rooftop gardens, and blue fescue (Festuca glauca) can be used in containers, in a border, or as an edging plant. It is hardy in Zones 4-8 and reaches just 10 inches tall.

  • Learn more about blue fescue.
  • Discover other top ornamental grasses.

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Maidengrass

Maidengrass

On the other size end of the ornamental grass-size spectrum, maidengrass -- hardy in Zones 5-9 --  towers, particularly Miscanthus sinesis 'Gracillimus', which can reach heights of 7 feet. It does best in full sun and can be used in the back of a rooftop garden border. Or plant multiples in a row to block an unsightly view.

Note: Maidengrass can be invasive in some areas; check local restrictions before planting it.

  • Learn more about maidengrass.
  • Discover other top ornamental grasses.

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    1 of 15 Kousa Dogwood
    2 of 15 Harry Lauder's Walking Stick
    3 of 15 'Blue Star' Juniper
    4 of 15 Dwarf Hinoki Cypress
    5 of 15 'Fanal' Astilbe
    6 of 15 'Big Daddy' Hosta
    7 of 15 Ajuga
    8 of 15 Lavender
    9 of 15 Daylily
    10 of 15 Lamb's-Ears
    11 of 15 Japanese Wisteria
    12 of 15 'Gold Flame' Honeysuckle
    13 of 15 Climbing Hydrangea
    14 of 15 Blue Fescue
    15 of 15 Maidengrass

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