Monday, June 15, 2009

Green Roof Update – Bulbine is the Bomb!

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My apologies, I haven’t kept up my updates on our test strips. I also have not been able to add to our test strips as we had originally planned. It’s been a busy spring – putting together presentations and teaching on green roofs, evidence based design and healing gardens as well as working on the West Palm Beach Waterfront project.

Probably the most important thing we’ve learned is – put in an irrigation system with a moisture detector. Despite our best intentions to stay on top of rain events and water after 10 days of no rain the strips went through periods of neglect. Fortunately we have had a lot of rain the last couple of months, so I got brave and went up to see how things were doing.

In the 4 inch media depth everything was still alive. The bulbine actually looks great. The mimosa and perennial peanut are still there but struggling.

In the 8 inch media the equisetum had died and devils walking stick had taken over. Devil’s walking stick is usually considered a weed but is actually a great bee and butterfly plant so I’m leaving it. The grasses are hanging in there.

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