Turning rooftops, balconies and terrace into visual delights that overflow-often quite literally-with cooling shades of green, interspersed with luxuriant flowers, is an urban trend that has been gaining traction in Pakistan. The benefits are varied and numerous. Plants cleanse the atmosphere of potentially harmful pollution and help keep temperatures (inside and out) at an acceptable level. Furthermore, sky-high urban gardens provide an ideal setting to relax within the confines of your house, while serving as magnets for bees, butterflies and birds which have, without access to their environmental necessities, largely disappeared from our cities.
If you are planning to create these gardens on flat rooftops, spacious terraces or even on the tiniest of balconies, factor in the following:
*As pots and containers filled with soil are heavy, the foundation of the building must be load bearing. Ask an architect and engineer to survey the rooftop to ensure there are no structural vulnerabilities, such as seepages or cracks.
* These gardens should be enclosed within a boundary at least four feet high to prevent accidents. If the rooftop garden is exposed to strong winds, prolonged sunshine or persistent rain, have securely fastened wind breaks or sun shades erected as a cover.
*Fruit ideally suited to be grown in seasonally hot or cold locations include Chico, Chinese gooseberry, goji berry, grape vine, melon, passion fruit, pomegranate, pineapple, sharifa, star-fruit and strawberry.
*Herbs that do well in rooftops include borage, basil, coriander, thyme, sage, oregano, mint, dill, chamomile, calendula, nasturtiums, and others according to seasonal suitability.
*Flowering climbers, shrubs and creepers that can be grown include roses, golden shower, lantana, lantana, sandwich island creeper, Rangoon creeper, bougainvillea, jasmine, motia, queen-of-the-night, frangipani and seasonal beauties such as marigolds, zinnias and petunias.
* Select dwarf varieties when possible as these are less likely to suffer wind damage and are suitable for pot and container cultivation.
By B. Khan