|
Growth habit
These
plants are small to medium growing evergreen succulent shrubs seldom
exceeding
2 metres, the stems as well as the leaves are highly succulent. They
reproduce
both vegetatively as well as by seed.These
plants are extremely decorative feature plants having dark green
succulent leaves
and a very neat growth habit. They produce masses of white flowers
edged with
pink over a long period during the winter months
Drought resistance
In
their
natural habitat they are able to withstand reasonable periods of
extreme
drought due to their very succulent nature. From my experience of
growing these
plants I have found them to be very drought resistant.
Disease and pest resistance
These
plants
are generally disease resistant however they are often heavily fed upon
by the
larvae of butterflies which at times do considerable damage to the
plants
Suitability as Green Roof plants
From
my
many years of experience with these plants and from indications of the
plants
that are being tested under Green Roof conditions these plants
certainly give
the impression that they are going to be excellent Green Roof feature
plants
where larger plants can be grown.
Biodiversity value in the Green
Roof landscape
They
create
robust habitat and protection for other green roof dwellers. They are
frequently
fed on by the larvae of butterflies, when in flower they attract large
numbers
of pollinating insects in particular honey bees.
Cautions and precautions in the
Green Roof
application
None
that I
am aware of at the moment
|
