As part of our ongoing green roof research, we revisited a site in Prague’s Smíchov district to assess populations of hemiparasitic plants sown the year before last. These plants naturally suppress dominant grasses, creating space for less competitive herbs and increasing species diversity without intensive maintenance. Last year’s growing season brought challenging conditions. Severe drought in June hit the young population before it could produce enough seeds for regeneration. This year, we found the plants surviving only in specific microhabitats—shaded areas near ventilation units with lower evaporation and spots with slight water leakage providing necessary moisture.
These findings offer valuable insights into the limits of biological regulation in extreme urban conditions and highlight the importance of microclimate in roof planting design. The project continues in close collaboration with our implementation partner, GreenVille green roofs, within the TAČR program.
This project is co-financed with state support from the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic under the Programme Prostředí pro život. This project was funded under the National Recovery Plan from the European Instrument of Recovery and Resilience Facility.
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