Product Description

The green roof industry is booming and the technology changing fast as professionals respond to the unique challenges of each new implementation. In this comprehensively updated, fully revised edition of their authoritative reference, Nigel Dunnett and Noël Kingsbury reveal the very latest techniques, materials, and plants, and showcase some spectacular new case studies. Planting on roofs and walls began in Europe but is now becoming popular all over the world as people become aware of their beneficial impact on the environment. Green roofs and walls reduce pollution and run-off, help insulate and reduce the maintenance needs of buildings, contribute to biodiversity, and provide food and habitats for wildlife. In addition to all this, they are attractive to look at and by greening up living environments enhance the quality of life of residents. In Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls the authors describe and illustrate the practical techniques required to design, implement and maintain a green roof or wall to the highest professional standards. They go on to explain how roofs may be modified to bear the weight of vegetation, discuss the different options for drainage layers and growing media, and list the plants suitable for different climates and environments. This informative, up-to-the-minute reference will captivate professionals with its illuminating new findings, and encourage gardeners everywhere to consider the enormous benefits to be gained from planting on their roofs and walls.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #127277 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

About the Author
Noël Kingsbury is a leading expert in contemporary naturalistic planting design. He contributes regularly to Hortus, Homes and Gardens, The English Garden, and the Royal Horticultural Society's magazine, The Garden. He occasionally writes pieces for other magazines and newspapers including Financial Times and Country Life. Noël lectures regularly in the United States at places such as the Seattle Flower Show, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and the Rochester Civic Garden Center. Noël is a well-known writer on plants and gardens. He has always been firmly in the vanguard of new developments, playing a major role in popularizing a more naturalistic and sustainable planting style. He wrote Designing with Plants with designer Piet Oudolf and is associated with the Landscape Department at the University of Sheffield as part of his active involvement in promoting quality planting in public spaces. A lover of wild spaces and wildflowers growing in their natural environment, Noël emphasizes growing gardens in a way that expresses this passion. He is especially fond of the way plants group naturally when left to their own devices. Noël loves discovering good examples of large-scale, natural-style gardens or plantings that clearly evoke nature. He is pleased to be part of the naturalistic planting movement and believes that "Gardening for myself and for a lot of people is an opportunity to be close to nature." Nigel Dunnett is a senior lecturer in the Department of Landscape at the University of Sheffield where he has developed innovative research programs into naturalistic and ecologically-informed planting for gardens and public landscapes. He writes regularly for leading horticultural magazines and journals and lectures widely throughout the U.K. He lives in Sheffield.

Customer Reviews

basic introduction for the novice
A basic introduction the subject of green roofs and walls. Technical issues are not covered in great detail, but there is a comprehensive plant-list at the back. Most of the subjects are geared towards novices of urban greenery and somewhat haphazardly spaced throughout the book. Definitely not a thorough coverage, which I suppose is reflected in the budget price. There are some fine pictures and it is a pleasantly sized hardback.

A serious attempt on a difficult subject
I am a big advocate on using plants to create green walls and roofs. They can reduce the urban "heat island" effect and create usable green open spaces. I found this book's discussions on Intensive Green Roof, Extensive Green Roof, , Ecoroof, Brown Roof, etc interesting. This book is a serious attempt on a difficult subject. The color photos inside the book are helpful also.

There are still technical difficulties in using green walls and roofs: water proofing, how to handle the structural weight of large trees, how to integrate large plants with building structure, etc. All these technical discussions are needed, and they could be the subject of another book.

Gang Chen, Author of "LEED AP Exam Guide" & "Planting Design Illustrated." LEED AP, AIA

The book makes you realise that in ten years we will be so surprised that back in the early 2000 roofs were not green
The incredibly complex technique of vertical planting is made accessible and a convincing case is made to go green on your roof: eco and economic benefits included.
This book is forward thinking but is the way forward in the changing climate.

Blue sky approaches made simple by the authors!

Loved it and feature it on my guide

Anne Editor- www.MyUrbanGardenDecoGuide.com