Succulent Design Ideas

You may have heard about "living" or "green" roofs -- a wonderful, eco idea that may be practiced with more frequency in the coming decade. In her book Designing With Succulents, author Debra Lee Baldwin suggests that shallow-rooted varieties of succulents, like sempervivums, sedums and portulaca are good choices for green-roofs.

Besides looking really cool and different, there are several pros to creating a succulent roof.

Among them, a succulent roof:

• Creates shade
• Sheds water
• Creates lost "green space" at the roof level
• More fire-resistant than most plants; succulents have high moisture
• Minimal irrigation needs
• Low maintenance
• Wind tolerant
• Tolerant to high temperatures
• Can be irrigated with a recycled rainwater system
• Filters the air
• Reintroduces flora and fauna into areas of urban development
• Buffers noise
• Reduces glare
• Protects the structure underneath

The green-roof concept has been around at least as long as those Hanging Gardens of Babylon.