For those who love to stay close to nature, Roof garden may be the closest option these days. In the present scenario where most of the people in urban areas live in apartments, having a garden will seem out of question. The main constraint is the space which the builders claim they can use to build another whole block.
A few decorative items and good choice of plants will make a world of difference. It does not only change the looks of the surroundings but also alters the environment. The gardens can be located in two places. One is the balcony and the other alternative is the roof.
ROOF GARDENS:
The roof gardens are aimed at cooling the building and reducing the load on the cooling systems and hence making the building green. A green roof is a roof of a building which is covered with vegetation and soil, or a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. The roof gardens/green roof can also be made to serve another purpose. They can be laid at a proper slope in such a way that they provide proper drainage for the water falling in the roof. Thus the water can be put to proper use without many other expenses like the piping for the rain water harvesting and other alternates. This roof garden can also be used to unleash your creativity. You can experiment with potted plants or grass carpet or garden accessories.
The other check points in order to make this green movement even louder is to use terracotta pots instead of plastics, use solar powered lights, use the grey water from kitchens for gardening.
BALCONY GARDENS:
The balcony gardens can be designed based on the size of balcony available. If the balcony is big then we can have rows of plants. But we can have alternate ideas if you have a small balcony. We can go in for vertical gardens in that case. One way of having Vertical garden is to have strong threads connecting the base and the roof. Then the creepers can be allowed to grow on it.
But not all plants can thrive in every environment. Experts have analyzed the plants that can be grown based on the direction of the balcony. They are as follows:
North facing (less or no sunlight) - dieffenbachias, aglaonimas, philodendrons (bushy and climbing) and marantas (suitable for humid climate).East facing (mild sunlight)-african violets, hibiscus, foliage plants like chlorophytum, eranthumum and aralias.
South and west facing (plenty of sun)- plumbago, bougainvillas, ixoras, button roses, hamelias, gulphimia, clematis.
Use soil that are porous and retain all the moisture which is supplied to it. It is also essential to use the well decomposed manure. With all this and proper water proofing of the floor your house is ready for the roof garden you always wanted.
