New green business is born at Shropshire nursery

We were thrilled to see the website for Boningale Green Roofs go live this week, after a busy year of research and development by the company.

The business provides design advice and uniquely-grown plants needed to create green roofs, and has been working closely with experts from the University of Sheffield to help achieve sustainable roofs.

A green roof, in case you didn't know, is one which is built on a flat roof, providing it is strong enough, and containing a range of plants which not only brightens up the space, but is ecologically sound, helping manage the water run-off from the building and attract wildlife.

Boningale’s Green Roof project, which is based at the wholesale nursery site in Holyhead Road, Albrighton, began a year ago.

Boningale nursery has been supplying plants to the landscaping industry for more than 50 years, and is using its team’s knowledge of plants to bring a different approach to the design and planting of green roofs for commercial premises.

The project has been managed by Maggie Fennell, along with Boningale chairman, Tim Edwards, who have been working closely with the Green Roof Centre at the University of Sheffield.

She is pictured above, checking the substrate on the new green roof at Boningale, before the planting began.

Over the last year, the team has used the latest research and world-class testing facilities to develop  brand-new methods of growing plants specifically for green roofs, to ensure they need minimum maintenance and watering, and remain healthy and green for  30 years or more.

 The project has included building a green roof on the office buildings at the nursery in Albrighton to test out some of the products, and project manager Maggie is confident many other businesses will see the benefits of doing this.

"We have developed a brand-new method of growing plug plants specifically for green roofs, and know our plugs are going to be a real hit in this industry because they will precisely match people’s needs – and most importantly, they work,” she explained.

“People want green roofs for a number of reasons, from creating a pretty space within a built-up area, to reducing their footprint and helping the environment.  We can provide different plants depending on these requirements and we know these roofs will work well for many years to come.

“We have also been working with soil experts at the university to develop purpose-designed substrates – the layer of soil the plants grow in – which we also hope to offer for sale in the near future.

“We are now working on extending the range of plant species we can offer, and hope to start taking contracts for delivery next spring.”

The team is now working on a DIY guide for homeowners, which will allow people to build their own green roofs on their homes. We look forward to more news on this in the near future.

In the meantime, if you are a business, interested in finding out more about building a green roof on your premises, give Maggie a ring on 01902 376500,  or visit the new website . You can also follow Green Roofs on twitter