Urban Applications for Ecological Horticulture:

Green Roofs and Living Walls

The day will begin with a 2-hour lecture on greenroofs and living walls, covering the basics of roof and wall types, design, layered components, and functions and benefits. Green roofs and living walls will be explored in the context of horticultural applications that provide ecosystem services to the built environment. For the remainder of the morning, the class will tour several projects at The Oregon Garden that apply ecological horticulture to the sustainable landscape, including a raingarden, a green roof, a floating wetland, a tunnel green roof, a living wall, biofilter strips for parking lots, and constructed wetland bog filters. The afternoon will be split between two installations. First, the class will layer and plant a greenroof on a tool shed (using multiple planting techniques), where the waterproof membrane, edge boards, and gutters have already been installed. This roof is also designed to participate in a regional study that will measure the treatment effect of a green roof on a greywater irrigation source, as compared with the treatment effect of a constructed wetland on the same greywater irrigation source. Second, the class will install growing media and plants into modular units of a custom living wall, while exploring the structural challenges that accompany the vertical dimension. This wall will be trialing different media and plant selections.

This workshop is designed for horticulture or landscape design students; Master Gardeners; green industry professionals who want an introduction to green roof or living wall applications; or ambitious homeowners looking for new solutions to water management and energy conservation issues.

Fee of $105 includes hand-outs, lunch, and admission to The Oregon Garden.

This workshop is taught by SPROut.

To register, visit Chemeketa Community College's Natural Resources Department website.

Approved by the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board for 8 credits toward certification renewal.