Favorite Spring Plants

In addition to water you need plants that are very heat and sun tolerant. Flowering annuals that are good include lantana, mandevilla (beautiful climbers), verbena , calibrachoa. Perennials are more difficult with containers but coneflowers, shasta daisies, and black eyed susans usually come back depending on the winter. I have a huge problem with squirrels so vegetables have been a problem — I now do cherry tomatoes and herbs – rosemary, thyme, sage (all of these last all winter).

i find rosemary easy to grow in a window box.

Do you have water and irrigation on the roof? Biggest issues I have experienced with rooftop gardens are wind and dryness. Something like thyme could do relatively well on a rooftop. Best would be sedum but that’s not an edible (that I know of).