Sedum roof

Green roofs Green roofs are becoming increasingly popular. This development is in line with the growing interest in sustainability; a green roof lasts twice as long as traditional roofing and insulates very well. A green roof is usually a sedum roof. This article will tell you why. Would you like to know if your house is suitable for a sedum roof? Please contact Groendaktotaal, your specialist and supplier in green roofs, for free personal advice.

What is sedum?

Sedum is a succulent plant. These plants can withstand extreme and changing weather conditions such as cold, heat, drought and wind. The protective layer on the leaf is what makes sedum less sensitive to these elements. The most important characteristic of sedum is that it retains water in its leaves for it to be used in summer. This keeps sedum highly resistant to longer periods of drought. Sedum prefers to grow in full sun, although there are subspecies that like the shade.

Why go for a sedum roof?

Sedum is the ideal plant for roof greening. Because these succulent plants withstand all types of weather so well, they require little maintenance and they barely wilt. Moreover, there are so many kinds of sedum that you have a beautiful palette available to create a colourful green roof. Important to note is that not all subspecies grow as fast or as high. The different kinds of sedum also stand apart in terms of their lifespan. By arranging the sedum plants on your green roof with care, expertise and good taste, you can end up with a colourful, long-lasting roof garden. The sedum roof can be combined with pebbles or grass. Of the 250 sedum plant species, about 50 are suitable for the installation of a green roof. The most popular combinations of species include:

• Sedum album Coral Carpet
• Sedum Acre
• Sedum hispanicum
• Sedum sexangulare.
• Sedum Oreganum
• Sedum lydium

These plant combinations will give your sedum roof a beautiful colour palette.

What are the advantages of a sedum roof?

Sedum roofing is an original solution for environmentally conscious people who live sustainably. And it's a definite eyecatcher; a colourful sedum roof looks much prettier than a tiled or bitumen roof. A sedum roof really has too many advantages to list. Here are some of them:

• a sedum roof insulates both heat and sound well
• a sedum roof requires relatively little maintenance
• a sedum roof contributes to a pleasant indoor climate; in winter the sedum keeps the cold out, as well as the heat in summer
• a sedum roof lasts twice as long as traditional roofing
• a sedum roof is healthy; it purifies rainwater and ambient air and produces pure oxygen.

Can I have a sedum roof on my house?

A sedum roof is one example of a green roof and is classified as so-called extensive roofing. These are roofs with a maximum build up of 15 centimetres and with plants that do not grow higher than 50 centimetres. Sedum plants are suitable for both flat and sloped roofs. Sedum roofing can be installed on homes, barns or garages. In theory, nearly every roof can support sedum roofing. The one condition is that your roof can carry the weight of the substructure and the sedum plants. You should therefore have a Groendaktotaal specialist inspect the load-bearing capacity of your roof. Would you like to know more about having a sedum roof atop your home? Please contact Groendaktotaal for a free consultation. We look forward to meeting you!