Watch Bbg’S Living Roof Come To Life (Video)
Vance Ross

How long does it take to install a 10,000-square-foot meadow on the roof of a building? According to this video, just two minutes! We captured the entirety of the early-autumn installation of 40,000 plants on the roof of BBG’s new Visitor Center—from September 26 to October 31, 2011—in this short time-lapse video. A month of soil dispersal, planting, watering, and a surprise snowfall has been condensed into two minutes of gardening history. And the transformation doesn’t end here. The living roof will change throughout the seasons, its grasses, bulbs, and perennial wildflowers attracting local pollinators and visitors alike. By May 16, when the new Visitor Center opens to the public, nearly 60,000 plants will have been installed around the building.

The Visitor Center is a key component of the most significant renewal effort since the Garden’s founding. To learn more about the extraordinary series of new projects underway visit nextcentury.bbg.org.