The light, the air and the views of rooftop gardens, particularly in urban environments, give us access to a different perspective on our surrounding world. Roof deck gardens can expand your home and can be designed as outdoor rooms. Imagine outdoor dining and lounging areas surrounded by containers filled with colorful and fragrant flowers or an outdoor kitchen with pots of herbs and vegetables ready to enhance your cooking. Or an evening enjoying the night sky with fragrant jasmine or lavender blooming nearby. These are all achievable with the proper planning.
Designing The Perfect Rooftop Garden
Every rooftop garden adds its own unique beauty and style to the world, for every person who comes to enjoy it. Jean Brooks sees the perfect rooftop garden as an artistic endeavor, an open-ended question full of creative possibilities and palettes.
Artistic creations require thoughtful preparation and detailed planning for a successful outcome. A rooftop garden is no different.
Containers
A rooftop garden is a garden in the sky, which of course means there’s no immediate soil. Containers and soil must be introduced to the space. Jean Brooks’ landscaping team begins with selecting high-quality containers that won’t warp under pressure from elements within or without over time. Brooks prefers reinforced composite containers for larger plant materials.
These containers are available in a wide variety of colors and textures, which add creative interest to the rooftop garden. And the ’sky’s the limit’ on choices for pots, frost-proof terracotta and colorful glazed pots add even more interest. Rooftop gardeners can choose any number of color and texture palettes to achieve their vision. The artistry begins here with the variety of containers rooftop gardeners select.
With weight considerations at the forefront of every project, Brooks fills the selected containers with suitable drainage material and soil. Fully saturated loam is often too heavy for a rooftop. So, Brooks uses lightweight soil containing perlite (volcanic glass) that can create a light, airy environment for plants to thrive.
Water
Speaking of water, rooftops tend to be hot and dry. Plants on the roof lose moisture quickly because they are exposed to wind and direct light. Water is the most important element for a successful rooftop garden. A spigot to attach a hose for regular watering may be your first thought, but Jean Brooks Landscapes is eager to recommend an irrigation system especially designed for rooftop planting.
The in house irrigation team at Jean Brooks Landscapes, will install irrigation lines connected with a computerized smart system that keeps container garden plants satisfied with just the right amount of water around the clock and in all weather conditions. Furthermore, if the water lines seem to produce too much or too little water, Brooks will receive a computerized alert to adjust or repair the system, keeping both plants happy and costs low.
Wonder
The art of rooftop gardening begins with choosing a suitable space and containers, yet it comes to full fruit with the right selection of plants. A perfect rooftop garden includes a design scheme of plants that are drought-tolerant and happy with full sun and wind exposure. Roses, lavender, and a variety of shrubs are often a first line of considerations — however, there are many more options and boundless, artistic creativity is welcomed!
Many edibles also appreciate the kind of full sun and conditions on a rooftop. Tomatoes and herbs are brilliant examples. Imagine the fragrance of a rooftop herb garden that could also be immediately on hand and picked over for meal preparation and muddling into a favorite summertime beverage!
Reach Out To Jean Brooks Today
Jean Brooks Landscapes also helps develop “irrigation systems” and “containers” for the humans who occupy the perfect rooftop garden space as part of the overall landscaping design package. Like the potting containers, Brooks has a broad library of suggestions for composite material furniture that is both stain and sun resistant. Shaded areas, comfortable seating, and inviting dining spaces are all important additions to a rooftop garden, so people can occupy and admire the artistry of the space.
Brooks’ team evaluates each individual rooftop space, considering wind shear and exposure. Umbrellas are a lovely shade … until wind carries them away. Instead, Brooks may recommend weighted bases, awnings, or secured pergolas (which can be covered over with thick-grown wisteria or fruiting vines), depending on the design needs of the space. Certain awning options have retractable settings for daytime shade and flexibility to enjoy wide-open evenings under the sky.