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A strategy to combat the adverse effects of urbanization involves the installation of green roofs under different climatic conditions. The design and maintenance of green roof systems need to be tailored to the local climate. However, there is a scarcity of reports on the performance of plants under temperate monsoonal climatic conditions. This study follows the growth pattern of 28 species (18 non-succulent forbs and 10 succulents) grown at three substrate depths (10, 15, and 20 cm) over three years on an unirrigated extensive green roof, located in Beijing, China. The results of this study revealed that sustainable extensive green roof was realizable without irrigation in Beijing. In terms of plant adaptive strategies, the most successful plants in this study were the stress-tolerant species, followed by the ruderal species. While deeper substrate could facilitate the survival and performance of plants, substrate moisture content was more significant for the survival of plants in the dry and cold winter in Beijing. This study recommended the use of a substrate depth, which was at least 15 cm deep for unirrigated green roofs in Beijing. Unlabelled Image • A green roof research was conducted in a temperate monsoonal climate. • Stress-tolera\nt species and ruderal species performed well on unirrigated green roofs. • Substrate moisture content was vital for the plant survival in dry and cold winters. • Substrate depth should be at least 15 cm for unirrigated green roofs in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]