The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, at the initiation of GRoWERS member Brian Gardiner, started its green roof study in the spring of 2005. Twenty-four 5-foot-by-6-foot waist high test roofs cover miniature "buildings", three of which have white, reflective ("cool") roofs and another three of which have a conventional black built-up asphalt roof. The remaining 18 have extensive green roofs installed with drainage systems and growing media proprietary to several manufacturers. Each of the green roof systems is planted with the same selection of native plants and irrigation and sensor systems and preserves the anonymity of the respective green roof manufacturers. Researchers are collecting data on roof temperature as well as quantity and quality of runoff. This is a unique research endeavor whose goal is to test the performance of proprietary systems, plant species, and selected green roof variables in Austin's climate.
