With spring springing, comes the time to have some fun as the sun shines ever so brightest and adds colour to everything. Even though winters are genuinely loved (personal choice), spring adds hope to the surroundings and to the people.
To me, it’s nature calling out everyone ‘to party’. As colour comes into play, the process of farming takes a new stride and brings the colour needed. Over time, a prominent trend that has been witnessed is the concept of ‘Rooftop gardening’.
Rooftop Gardening
For many, it may be an act of modernity, but as per facts Rooftop gardening actually dates back to the era of antiquity.
Looking back at the famed ziggurats of Mesopotamia were built back in 4000- 600 B.C, to the wondrous ‘Hanging Gardens of Babylon’, rooftop gardens have not only served as a delight to people but to grow food, a means to control flood and insulate homes.
Green Rooftops
As this trend/ concept may be new for many in our country, this is the sole reason roofs remain in the domain of the squarely utilitarian and serve as a home to chimneys, air ducts, and satellite dishes.
This should change as many cities across the globe are promoting the installation of rooftop gardens for these very benefits one could reap from this act.
Green rooftops or Rooftop gardening is basically the act of covering the roofs with earth/suitable soil to grow plants. As advantageous as they are, one can start rooftop gardens where free ground-level space is limited. Given the current situation, heat build-up is of concern.
Such gardens can actually reduce the overall heat absorption of a house/ building, thus helping reduce energy consumption and help fight smog, which is a growing issue in cities like Lahore, Faisalabad and surrounding places. This is not the only thing these ‘little environmental superheroes’ do. They also provide space for growing affordable and sustainable crops and recreation.
Rooftop gardens are deemed to be instrumental in human survival. With a modern outlook, roof gardening can make a difference in our own future.
Advocating the belief that rooftop farming can be the answer to food insecurity in cities and bringing in the perspective of the environment, these green spaces will have a positive impact on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
How to create Rooftop Gardens?
Changing the tone from formal to a little more relaxed, the decor is my second favourite thing. It’s something I’ve tried my hand at and surprisingly, it’s a refreshing hobby from which one can get a productive outcome.
In this modern era of technology, picking up such hobbies is like next to finding a purpose in life.
If you’re considering a rooftop garden, there are a couple of rooftop gardening ideas and directions one could step towards as they are a great environmental approach. If you’re a nature lover or want to submit yourself completely, fully planted rooftop gardens is the way to go.
The roof is covered with soil and the plants are in the ground. For this approach, one should take into account a couple of things. First things first, a proper plan as to how to go about something and secondly, submitting yourself truly.
After properly assessing the structural integrity, make sure that the roofs can withhold the load. As the soil and pots are heavy, to begin with, and will get heavier as the plants grow. The placement of your roofs is an important factor which will decide the upcoming steps, as the sun is a problem when plants swelters on top of concrete.
You will probably want to provide some sort of shade. Rooftop gardens require a lot of water, which can get hectic. Along with taking this factor into account, another equally important approach is a sewage system for this practice. So consider installing rain barrels and a drip irrigation system.
Last but not least, how much are you willing to spend? You can start small and add on, buying more pots, plants, and soil as you go. The real expense comes when you want to start landscaping and building on the roof.
To cut down the cost, instead of adding tiles, building raised beds inboxes is a more feasible step. And adding lighting and furniture can all start to add up. No doubt, keeping a house cool in extreme heat is a tedious task. But, do not worry because there are a couple of ways you can adopt to kick off unnecessary heat from your house.
If you’re only looking for an easy and personal approach to rooftop gardening ideas, simple use of containers and raised beds could do just the thing.
You can create any style of rooftop garden with container-grown plants, from a few simple herb plants to create herb plants, to a formal and elegant garden.
Decorating those Rooftops
After getting the perfect garden, now comes the steps to decorate this heaven for multiple purposes. Again, by taking help from another one of my previous blogs, you can easily set up the rooftops. Add funky patterned chairs and matching tables to spend time between the natures, as you soak up the summer heat and cool down by the evening’s air.
You turn this into a personalized pad to host parties or spend some personal quality time because not everyone has the time or liberty to run to hill stations or the margaritas to cool off the city steam.
So guys, all the best with picking up this hobby and actually submitting yourself to your personal piece of heaven. Once again, leave down comments and suggestions in the comments below after you’re done watching the match between Pakistan vs Australia. (Hopeful that you all pray for our team’s victory)
