Skip to main content

What's Blooming in July: Greenroof Shelter

Newly replanted Green Roof Shelter in Children's Garden

What's Blooming in July: Greenroof Shelter

by Josh Cornell, Horticulturist, The Gardens on Spring Creek 

During the summer of 2019, the Green Roof Shelter in the Children’s Garden underwent a much-needed renovation. With new waterproof underlayment, as well as a new soil retention system and redesigned irrigation, it was all set for a new plant palate. A garden space mimicking the ecosystem of a shortgrass prairie is replacing the sedums that had taken over from the previous planting. These plants often deal with the some of the same challenges in their natural settings as they will on the green roof – including shallow soil depth and fluctuating seasonal extremes in temperature.

Blue gramma (Bouteloua gracilis)

Based on a shortgrass prairie, one would obviously expect to see...grasses. On our green roof you will find blue gramma (Bouteloua gracilis), sideoats gramma (Bouteloua curtipendula), sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus), blue fescue (Festuca ‘Boulder Blue’) as well as  some annual rye (Lolium multiflorum) was used to stabilize the media last winter. Most noticeable are the seed heads of the blue gramma, which resemble little “eyebrows” or “eyelashes”.

California poppies (Eschscholzia californica)

Along with the grasses there are also a selection of blooming plants to add splashes of color. A few of the standouts are California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), Western wallflower (Erysimum capitatum), Hartweg evening primrose (Calylophus hartwegii), sacred thornapple (Datura wrightii), along with several varieties of Penstemon, Agastache, Echinacea and Artemisia. The intense scarlet blooms of the Humboldt County fuchsia (Epilobium septentrionale ‘Waynes Silver’) and hummingbird trumpet mint (Monardella macrantha ‘Marian Sampson’) planted around the edges are a favorite of the hummingbirds and will be sure to catch your eye. Some pasque flowers (Pulsatilla vulgaris ‘Rote Glocke’ and ‘Blau Glocke’) are also thrown in to bring some color, and hope, in early spring.

A collection of unique cold hardy cacti have also been added to the green roof. This idea came about after reading an article about sod roof houses in Nebraska, built by the pioneers. The accompanying pictures revealed beavertail cactus (Opuntia sp.) growing on these old rooves. I felt they add a beauty and texture appropriate for our western landscape. Several species of Opuntia with unique bloom colors and winter pad coloring have been added. With blooms varying from white and cream to citrus shades of orange and yellow, they will be a sight not to miss. Also planted is one of my favorites, the claret cup cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus). Its large, red blooms draw the attention of pollinators and people alike.

It has been a satisfying endeavor to watch the green roof garden evolve from total rebuild, reseeding and replanting, to its emergence this summer. It changes every week with more blooms and will continue to evolve and mature with the passing years. I look forward to seeing its changes and growth through the years, and I hope you will too!


Popular posts from this blog

When Plants Fight Back

By Andrew Scott, Horticulturist for The Gardens on Spring Creek This is the second installment of a two-part feature on plant defenses. Read Part I online at North Forty News . Caffeine, nicotine, morphine, cocaine ... sounds like the ingredients label on an old-timey cold medicine, right? These molecules are actually all alkaloids, some of the most common chemical deterrents deployed by plants. As the adage goes, the dose makes the poison. While people can (and do) ingest these alkaloids for their psychoactive effects, they prove to be much more deadly to a small insect that weighs all but a few tenths of a milligram.  The sap of opium poppies ( Papaver somniferum ) contains morphine, a potent sedative (via Daniel Prudek , Hodder Education Magazines)   Still, alkaloids have a strongly bitter taste, which animals have learned to associate with the toxic effects they can have. Eating green potatoes isn’t likely to kill you, but solanine, the alkaloid that triggers this change...

Hornworms by Brionna McCumber

Gardeners in Colorado may find large green caterpillars with an iconic horn on their plants every summer—these are hornworms! Tobacco hornworms ( Manduca sexta ) feed on common garden crops, often leading to conflict with humans. These very hungry caterpillars are defoliators, damaging plants such as tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and eggplant. While the caterpillars use crops as a food source, which could be seen as negative, the moths provide a critical step in reproduction for the plants via pollination. Carolina Sphinx Moths ( Manduca sexta ), also called Hummingbird moths, are the adult form of hornworm s. They are known for their unique ability to hover mid-flight. Combined with the use of a special elongated proboscis, these moths are especially important for plant species with long tubular flowers that other pollinators cannot access or pollinate.  The Gardens on Spring Creek Butterfly House wants to highlight the importance of these specialized pollinators in our...

Migrating Monarch Conservation Gardening

  Migrating Monarch Conservation Gardening  by Brionna McCumber This past winter, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a rule to list monarch butterflies as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The iconic migration along the east side of the Rocky Mountains sees monarchs flying from as far north as Canada down to the Oyamel forests in Mexico. Most of these butterflies travel through the Great Plains region of the United States, with the Front Range serving as the western boundary of their migratory pathway. Starting in March, monarchs begin their journey north again, reproducing and laying eggs along the way. Their northward migration continues over multiple generations, limited by the availability of milkweed host plants and nectar sources for adult butterflies. This cycle persists throughout the summer until late August, when the migration south begins once more. In December 2024, the overwintering populations occupied 4.42 acres of forest in Mexico—nearly d...