Have you ventured into rooftop landscaping? It sounds like a challenge, right? Well, not necessarily. As with anything else, you have to do some research, decide on the overall design that you wish to recreate, and do some careful planning, of course. Having covered the three steps from above is actually the hardest; believe me, because doing the actual manual work, my dear green thumb friends, is what actually people like you and I love about gardening.
Below I will share with you some really great rooftop landscaping projects and I hope that those would inspire you to create amazing outdoor garden designs. After all the city environment is getting more and more into the dull concrete jungle grotesque, so let’s try to build our own piece of green heaven, where we can relax, and recharge way above the traffic noise and our everyday problems.
The City Retreat
Have you thought about combining entertainment areas and nature at your rooftop? Well you should if you have enough space to do so. Perennials could give that extra cozy feeling of you taking a break at the park instead of being in the heart of the city.
Recreating the Nature’s Freedom
Be brave; be daring in your dreams. Who says your rooftop design would be a mere copycat of the “real thing”. If you visualize a forest thriving at your rooftop you can recreate it. Take your time and make every step count.
A Fairytale Touch
If you feel like adding some magic to your rooftop design, consider incorporating decorative elements that are subtle yet have a distinctive message and take you to another world of fantasy. A small wooden bridge rising above waves of grass and flowers would make all the difference, don’t you think?
Bring the Forest to Your Rooftop
Who says you can only plant grass, vines, flowers, herbs and shrubs at your rooftop: the sky is the limit! If you have a thing about tree crowns, then don’t make compromises with your dream. Do your research in terms of how windy your rooftop can get and plan accordingly on what trees it would be best to plant there. You have a great variety to choose from, starting from multi-trunk trees like olives and Japanese maples, and moving on to topiary trees that you could easily prune into shapes of your choosing.
The Vegetable Garden
Are you a fan of eco farm produce? It’s great to follow a healthy lifestyle and diet but you know what is even better – to be the one who actually grows his own food. There is no better way to really know what you are eating. You could adapt your rooftop landscaping design to fit in a few vegetable beds and plant essential things like: cucumbers, peppers, carrots, radishes, beets, and so on.
The Flower Garden
OK, so you don’t need to live in a high city building to venture into rooftop landscaping! If you wish to experiment, by all means, do so even if your home is a single story house. Make your home blend in with the natural environment and give it a hat of flowers – the more colorful, the better.
The Hive Makeover
While on the subject of being self-sufficient when growing your own vegetable garden, let’s take some time to have a further brainstorming session in that direction.
Do you love honey? Who doesn’t, right, especially when it is a way healthier than sugar an artificial sweeteners. If you wish to explore the beekeeping trade, adapt your rooftop for it. Save from adding beehives you’d better think of planting flowers that your bees would consider as valid food sources. Consider planting daisies, mint, oregano, and lavender on your rooftop, your bees would simply love it.
Rooftop Maze
This one could be a bit over the top for a DIY project, but, who knows: maybe you could consider doing a mini version of it on your own! In any case having a maze at your rooftop sounds great!
Labyrinth rooftop gardens are not only fun for kids but most grownups find them equally fascinating. You can grow hedge maze by planting Yews, or if you are on a low budget you could go for less expensive solution and do a vine maze with hops and grapes. In the latter case you should provide the vines with some climbing structure like wire fencing for instance.
The Water Magic
How do you feel about adding a water feature to your rooftop garden? Hearing the sound of bubbling running water or watching at an improvised river surely will help you relax better. Raised beds of grass and flowers and even a fire feature will complement nicely such an oasis corner on your roof. What do you think, are you already imagining yourself chilling in this fascinating green retreat?
Did you feel the creative boost I was telling you about in the beginning? There are so many amazing things you can do as it comes to rooftop landscaping. Just think what kind of project will best suit your needs and gardening skills, and get started. It will be awesome, I am sure of it!
*This is a collaborative post