Roof Gardens: History, Design and Construction - T Osmundson

Roof Gardens in General

Rooftop gardening is quite challenging, but the idea is not new.One of the most famous roof gardens is Queen Semiramis' Gardens, The hanging gardens of Babylon, which was built around 600 B.C and was destroyed by several earthquakes after second century B.C.. ,These for example, were terraced gardens arranged in set pyramids over elaborate rooms.

There are many good reasons for rooftop gardening. The first and foremost reason is that rooftop gardening increases access to private outdoor green space,rooftop gardens act as ecological oasis in the cities and help in improving the air quality by reducing air pollution and dust.

They look Very attractive & decorative
It creates a very attractive private space for relaxation

While browsing in a local book store , I happened to discover this very useful book on Roof Garening and I bought it on an impulse . I have had the book for 2 years now and I love going through its pages- honestly it is a collectors item for all Garden enthusiasts.

Mr. Osmundson the author of "Roof Gardens - History, Design and Construction" is a veteran landscape architect , and here in this book he shares his practical expertise of roof garden design, research and travel. The book is richly illustrated with attractive photographs , some plans for roof gardens and score of details regarding the construction ,about some prominent roof gardens in various cities across the globe with illustrated pictures ..
It is a lovely guide for garden enthusiasts.Very well detailed and with some very practical suggestions..

Some topics covered by him:-

There are certain things that need to be looked into while planning a roof garden:-

1,Making sure that the roof on which the garden is to be laid, is strong enough to carry the weight of the garden.Wet soil can weigh more than eighty pounds per square foot; your roof must be able to support this weight. Peat moss can also be used to ensure that there will be sufficient base soil.one has to Make sure that the roof is waterproof .

2,The roof or the terrace should be sloped and have an effective drainage system.

3,One has to make make sure that there is no leakage of water while planning a roof garden.

Choice of Plants

It is necessary to choose the plants with shallow root system which will not penetrate the roof floor in long run.At the same time, it is also advisable to grow such plants that flower at various periods of year and are very easily be maintained at roof top.

Some recommended plants that thrive on Roof Garden

Foliage plants :- Asparagus, coleus, croton, diffenbachia, dracena, paperomias, philodendron rubber plant, etc.

Flowering plants : Seasonal flowers like Anthurhium, Asters, Balsam, Calendula, Celosia, Cosmos, Daisy, Dianthus, Gaillardia, Marigold Nasturtium, Pansies, Phlox, Verbena, Zeinia, etc., and perennial flowers like Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Dahlia, Rose, Tuberose, etc.

Fruits :- Gooseberry, strawberry, peach, pear, pineapple pomegranate, etc

Cactii and succulents :- Agave, Aloe, Kalanchoe, Opuntia, Cehpalocereus, Notocactus ,Nyctocereus, etc.

Vegetables like Bringal, broccoli, chillies, lettuce, tomoto, etc

Soil Mix

Generally a soil layer of 10-20 cm thickness is sufficient for planting various foliage and flowering plants. A good soil mixture for roof gardening must consist of soil, sand and well rotten FYM in 2:1:1 ratio for flowering plants but for foliage plants, a mixture containing equal part of soil and organic manure is the best.

Potting

Before potting, the container should be thoroughly washed and sterilized with 5% formalin solution. A small piece of curved pebble should be placed over the drainage hole to prevent its blocking. For proper growth and drainage, the coarse sand should be placed at the bottom over which a mixture of soil and organic manure may be added to fill up the container leaving 2.0-3.0 cm pot brim for irrigation. Planting is to be done by making a hole in the center so that any injury to young plant or its roots may be avoided. While planting, the soil around the plant is pressed to hold it firmly in the growing medium. A light watering is required immediately after planting and should be done with the help of rose cane. After that the plants are kept in the shade for about a fortnight before being placed at their actual location on the roof.

Repotting

The pot should be checked once in a year during monsoon season (June-July) and repotting is required if the roots of the plant are found to bound the entire pot. Repotting may also be required if any plant looks too large for its pot or the water passes through the pot too quickly. Repotting is done either in bigger pot or in the same pot with fresh garden soil and manure after light root pruning..

The author also gives a detailed description and some useful tips for the maintenance of the roof garden..

This book covers almost all aspects of roof gardening and can be easily recomended to all garden lovers by all means...a very useful addition to ones library i would say.

Details of the Book

Author : Theodore H. Osmundson
Hardcover: 318 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (November 1997)
Language: English

Summary: A very useful gardening book