Balcony And Roof Top Gardens

If your home is in the inner city and you have access to a little roof area, you may be able to plant a garden where most never get to grow. Creating garden and landscaping ideas in areas like these can be a challenge due to severe winds and direct sun. Regardless, with a little knowledge of plants and a little planning, you can design an effective wind break as well as make some shade to screen out the sun.

The first and most important planning step for a garden like this is to study how well the building is put together. See if you can find out what type of materials the roof is made of. And if it’s a balcony, the materials and how it’s constructed. A balcony can be a very small and limited area. if it’s planned to be loaded with containers and their contents which can be very heavy, it has to be able to hold the weight. To prevent leaks, small gardens that are placed on roofs should be completely water proof as well as have proper drainage. if it is going to be easily accessed and enjoyed, there should be a safe way to get to the roof or balcony garden.

It’s possible that there may be some utility poles and wire around your roof or balcony garden. These can easily be camoflaged by planting the right types of plants in the right places. As small decorative planters filled with flowers will create atmosphere in the garden, bigger container plants can do the same while also creating a green screen. Designing roof top gardens is the same as with any small garden, patio, or courtyard, as you should try to not crowd the small area of space that you are limited to. Be sure to keep a little room to sit and enjoy any views that can be saved and framed rather than completely covered up.

It’s often best practice to use long light weight wood planters rather than a lot of small pots as it will spread the weight of the load out over more area. Remember to add some soil moistening and retaining products to your soil mixture. These types of products will help cut back with maintenance needs as plants in a soil mix with these products in it require less daily water. A hydroponics system for growing your plants might also be a good consideration if your roof is structurally not able to hold much weight. Hydroponically grown plants only need a liquid nutrient and light medium which weigh a lot less than dirt filled planters.

Your roof or balcony garden is also a good place to keep a small wormery or a bokashi system, so your precious plants can benefit while you are disposing of household waste in a way that is both useful and ecologically sound.