Green roofs, walls and facades enhance our city, creating sustainable and lush social environments. They help cool hot cities, reduce storm water drainage and insulate buildings all year round. They can also support local biodiversity when designed with that intent.
Learn more by reading our Green Our City Action Plan and the Australian Government's Green roofs and wallsOpens in new tab.
Here are a few different options to green your building:
A green roof is a vegetated cover or a permanent rooftop planting system covering a significant portion of a building’s roof. They mitigate stormwater run-off, reduce the urban heat island effect and increase biodiversity.
There are two main types of green roofs:
Extensive green roof
- Shallow layer of substrate or soil (20 to 150 mm).
- Low-growing stress-tolerant plants such as succulents, grasses and wildflowers.
- Requires little to no maintenance and imposes little weight on the building structure.
Intensive green roof
- Deeper layer of substrate or soil (150+ mm).
- Larger variety of plants, vegetables, shrubs and even trees.
- Can be a habitat for wildlife.
- Needs frequent maintenance like a normal garden.
Rooftop gardens have plants in some sections of the roof. Edible gardens or shrubs may also be planted in containers or pots, rather than on the roof itself.
A standard rooftop garden has fewer planted areas than a green roof, which has substrate or soil covering the majority of the roof.
A green wall is vegetation planted on the external side of a building. Most green walls are vertical hydroponic systems, with plant roots and soil attached to the wall.
A green facade typically features climbing vegetation planted on the ground or in raised planters growing up a trellis structure. Facade greening usually costs less than a green wall.
Wall or facade greening lowers a building’s temperature by shading it. It’s particularly useful for buildings facing the north and west.
Create your green roof, wall or facade
Growing Green Guide
Use the Growing Green Guide to design and develop your new green wall, roof or façade. It contains technical information about design, planning, construction, installation and maintenance. It also includes some great case studies of green infrastructure on roofs and buildings throughout the city.
Guidelines for Biodiversity Green Roofs
The Guidelines for Biodiversity Green Roofs has been developed by researchers from the Green Infrastructure Research Group at the University of Melbourne, to provide advice to building owners, landscape architects, landscape construction contractors and horticulturalists wanting to design and build a green roof that has a primary purpose to provide habitat for biodiversity.
This document explains the characteristics of green roofs known to influence their biodiversity habitat value, provides an evidenced-based overview of the fauna taxa known to live on and use green roofs, details green roof design elements known to be important for fauna, and provides suggestions of Victorian habitat templates and plant traits to guide green roof plant selection.
To guide the design of future biodiversity green roofs in Melbourne, a list of suitable plants has been compiled, comprising mostly native plant species known to grow successfully on green roofs, the biodiversity resources they can provide and fauna taxa recorded using them. You can find detailed information about these plants on our urban nature planting guide.
Choosing the right plants
If you are using planter boxers, pots or planting climbers, make sure you choose the right plants for your location. Consider the amount of direct sunlight, available water for irrigation, wind levels, and the need for fertilisers.
Our urban nature planting guide will help you find the right plant for your growing conditions to support biodiversity. We have also provided a more general species list below:
- Aspidistra elatior (cast iron plant)
- Agava attenuata (swans neck agave)
- Arthropodium cirratum (New Zealand rock lily)
- Bromeliads such as Billbergia pyramidalis var. concolor
- Clivia species, Nephrolepis cordifolia (fishbone fern)
- Orchids, Ficus microcarpa var. hillii
- Acacia cognata varieties
- Lavenders
- Cordylines
- Agapanthus praecox varieties
- Darwinia citriodora (lemon-scented myrtle)
- Correa reflexa (native fucshia), Correa alba (white correa), Correa baeuerlenii (chef’s cap correa)
- Convolvulus cneorum (silver bush), Grevillea ‘scarlet sprite’ and other grevillea varieties
- Dietes grandiflora, Dietes bicolour
- Nandina domestica, Nandina domestica ‘nana’, Philotheca myoporoides (native wax flower)
- Phlomis fruticosa (Jerusalem sage), Phlomis italica (Balearic Island sage)
- Rhaphiolepis umbellata (Yeddo hawthorn), Raphiolepis indica (Indian hawthorn)
- Strelitzia reginae (bird of paradise)
- Rosmarinus officinalis (common rosemary)
- Bamboos, ferns and palms can also be used, however, will require more regular watering in summer and some shade depending on the species.
- Arctotis varieties (African daisy)
- Coprosma x kirkii (Kirk’s trailing coprosma)
- Myporum parvifolium (creeping boobialla)
- Grevillea lanigera ‘Mt Tamboretha’
- Grevillea ‘bronze rambler’
- Erigeron karvinskianus (seaside daisy)
- Dichondra argentea ‘silver falls’
- Origanum vulgare (oregano)
- Clivia species
- Hellebores (Christmas rose)
- Sedums
- Bulbs
- Dianella tasmanica (Tasmania dianella)
- Aspidistra elatior (cast iron plant)
- Bromeliads such as Billbergia pyramidalis var. concolor
- Anigozanthus varieties (kangaroo paw)
- Limonium perezii (sea statice or lavender)
- Arctotis varieties (African daisy)
- Carpobrotus rossii (pig face)
- Agapanthus praecox small varieties
- Convolvulus cneorum (silver bush)
- Darwinia citriodora (lemon-scented myrtle)
- Liriope muscari (turf lily)
- Rosmarinus officinalis (common rosemary)
- Geraniums and pelagoniums
- Annuals / bedding plants for colour such as petunias, marigolds, vinca (potted colour varieties), salvias, gazanias, nasturtiums, Portulaca grandiflora, bedding begonias and zinnias
- Ficus pumila (climbing fig)
- Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Boston ivy)
- Kennedia rubicunda (dusky coral pea)
- Kennedia nigracans (black coral pea)
- Wisteria varieties
- Muehlenbeckia complexa (maiden hair creeper)
- Hibbertia scandens
- Cissus antarctica (kangaroo vine)
- Clematis varieties
- Trachelospermum jasminoides (star jasmine)
Please note that some of these plant varieties may require a frame to climb or be attached to. Some of them are vigorous growers and require regular pruning.
Planning permits for green roofs, facades and walls
You don’t need a planning permit for gardening on private land, such as planting and pruning, in the municipality of Melbourne.
You might need a planning or building permit to construct a green roof, facade or wall.
Check whether a permit is required
Request pre-application advice online or call 9658 9658.
Some of the issues that a building surveyor would consider before issuing a permit include:
- site considerations, such as whether a planning permit is required, or if the location needs to be assessed against the building regulations
- a report from a structural engineer if additional loads are proposed such as planted areas, retained water and extra structures
- applicable fire ratings for new structures
- access for people occupying the area
- waterproofing and drainage of the existing structure and new green roof area to ensure health and amenity of occupants below the roof is not compromised
- safe movement for users in and around the area, including ramps, stairs and balustrades
- any necessary alterations to essential safety measures within the building, such as additional emergency and exit lighting
- adequate and legal weatherproofing and drainage.
Most properties with any kind of shared facilities (such as driveways, gardens and apartment buildings) will have an owners corporation.
You will need permission from your owners corporation before undertaking work on common property, such as the roofs and walls of your apartment building. Refer to the Owners Corporations Act 2006Opens in new tab for more information.
To grow a garden on an apartment balcony, you will need permission from the owners corporation if:
- the balcony is your property and your garden may affect external appearances of the building
- the balcony is owners corporation common property
- you are renting the property.
For more information or advice about regulations, see Consumer Affairs Victoria – owners corporationsOpens in new tab or contact the owners corporation for your building.
Any questions?
Contact us at greeningmelbourne@melbourne.vic.gov.au.
