Are green roofs worth it – and are green walls actually… terrible?
James pulls no punches on vertical planting, explaining why most green walls fail, why irrigation systems are their Achilles’ heel, and why a humble Virginia creeper might be the smartest choice you’ll ever make. Joe plays devil’s advocate, defending green walls as horticultural art rather than practical gardening – before both agree that maintenance is where the dream usually dies.
From there, things get serious (well, serious-ish...
Are green roofs worth it – and are green walls actually… terrible?
James pulls no punches on vertical planting, explaining why most green walls fail, why irrigation systems are their Achilles’ heel, and why a humble Virginia creeper might be the smartest choice you’ll ever make. Joe plays devil’s advocate, defending green walls as horticultural art rather than practical gardening – before both agree that maintenance is where the dream usually dies.
From there, things get serious (well, serious-ish).
Green roofs, however, are declared a resounding triumph. James argues that every flat roof in the country should be green – by law, citing biodiversity, insulation, cooling, habitat creation, and sheer joy when opening the bedroom blinds to a roof buzzing with bees.
There are stories of flamingos on London roof gardens, Zandra Rhodes’ exotic pots, rogue designers ignoring planning law, and a surprisingly educational trip through the history of turf roofing – plus a promise of a future deep-dive with green roof expert Kay Davies for those who want the technical stuff James and Joe gleefully avoid.
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This episode is sponsored by Kress, leaders in robotic lawnmowing and battery landscaping tools. Learn more here: https://www.kress.com/en-gb/
About our hosts
James Alexander-Sinclair is a garden designer, writer and broadcaster. He is an RHS Vice-President and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022. He is the RHS Ambassador for Garden Design and a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers.
Joe Swift is a familiar face on television as a presenter of BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World and other gardening programmes. He is a garden designer, broadcaster, writer and design director of Modular.
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