When you garden high up the rules are different from ground level gardening.
Plants for windy roof terrace.
Depending on the level of exposure and altitude a wide range of plants can be grown on a balcony or roof garden.
In this article plants there are suitable to be grown in rooftop gardens will be discussed.
You are right in the windy zone so make sure containers and fittings are very thoroughly secured so.
Well selected sculptural flora magnifies spatial qualities across a broad range of roof terrace scales and withstands prevailing wind tunnel effects in urban grids.
Wind is one of the most common forces of nature that a balcony gardener will need to face and work with.
Rooftop gardens tend to get a lot of sunshine but are also exposed to extremely windy conditions.
Plants for roof gardens and balconies.
The solution is to pick wind tolerant plants in the first place.
Its beautiful gray green foliage reaches heights of about a foot and a half making it a good fit for either containers or full fledged rooftop garden beds.
Beloved for scent lavender lavandula angustifolia is a member of the mint family and native of the mediterranean so it weathers the windy and dry conditions of a rooftop garden well.
The upside to coastal gardening is the reduced risk of frost allowing you to grow borderline hardy plants which other gardeners only dream of.
The ideal method is to establish some shelter using screens or robust plants which then creates a microclimate where other plants can survive.
Plants for coastal gardens.
Plants adapted to growing in coastal conditions often have tough leathery or hairy leaves which protect the plant from salt damage and reduce moisture loss.
It s a good idea to create a living windbreak by planting a hedge facing the prevailing wind.
Broad canopied candelabra like and multi branched plant forms endure windy rooftop microclimates effortlessly.
Tips on choosing plants suitable for roof terraces balconies and patios plants useful for these areas will most probably have to be fairly drought and wind tolerant.
Suitable hedging plants include berberis hawthorn oleaster and sea buckthorn.
Olive trees are an excellent roof terrace plant.
Also these plants must to be able to live permanently in planters and therefore should be fairly resistant to becoming pot bound.
In order to do well under these conditions you need plants that are happy basking in the sun but also windproof and can be grown in containers.
Pick wind tolerant plants that are the best for high rise balconies to begin with.