So... I do have one I enjoy... it's looked great..and about the same ... effortless... and allways blooming...
A Roof Top Container... but then everything is up here
guess this is the hundred others up here... all in one photo... well maybe two.... Gordon
Wow! People must love looking into your little 'corner of the world'!
RCN....Well... just ya'll can see into it... there are no taller buildings for a great distance.. which is a bit disapointing... no passers by to admire ...even if they don't allways stop to view and visit it... but noone can really see into it.. except ..ya'll.... This also means I get a great amount of wind... full sun... 5 :30 to 8:30 in the summer... hince the tropicals... oh...another microclime item... the rubber membrane gets up to an easy 145* F by 11 AM every day it is sunny... that's why I consider myself in zone 4 - 14 ..
zone 4 .. as all the roots easily freeze solid to perhaps 2' .. or better ... with the planters out in the air... to zone 14.. as everything sits on or over the 145* roof... I'm not sure what zone gets to 145* F on a regular basis... It's easy... though...right... Gordon
this is the front 1/2...
That is some roof top you have there, GordonHawk. Everything looks so lush and beautiful.
What do you do in the wintertime, though? Your Christmas tree topper will be right at home but what about the plants?
Quyen... Thanks... there... Well in the winter ... before Christmas... [ usually Thanksgiving ] before Christmas .. it is our custom to bring a green limb inside... for the cellebration.... I just have to bring in alot of them... well now for pictures of the center of it to go with the front..
the center on the other side
Gordon, that is sooo incredible! How you have transformed and created an environment so beautifully! Every plant looks so lush and healthy and well displayed; wonderful attention to detail. I see lots of love goes into that garden! Thanks for sharing, Neal.
GREAT
I'm so happy you get to garden in the big city,that's great.Jody
Gordonhawk Great job of softening the cement look of your city. It is great to know that no matter where folks are the love of gardening wins every time. I like the colors you've got in your containers especially the burgandy (dracena?)
Ann
Yep, it amazes me also that you can make such a paradise!
:) Donna
The sofa looks very comfy and inviting.
I'm curious as to how you did the lawn area. How many inches of dirt is under that grass? All the greenery and grass surely help to lower that 145 degrees to something more tolerable, right?
If anyone is interested in books on city gardening Linda Yang has a great one called The city gardener's handbook : from balcony to backyard. I'm working on a patio garden, much less space and sun than a roof, but I'm reading everything that might give me ideas. The city gardener's handbook made me jealous of people that had roofs that they could turn into gardens, even if most of them have to put up with a lot more pollution than I do, some of the gardens featured in the book are incredible.
Gordon, your rooftop patio is just fabulous. Everything looks so happy and healthy. It is amazing that with all that heat and wind you can get plants to grow so well. Congratulations on a wonderful garden in the sky.
DonnaS
Gordon,
Saw your evening garden picture in the "putting down roots" poll comments area and wanted to see more pictures. I've now found several and LOVE your garden and amazing view.
Very lush, inviting garden. You're a success. Is that Plumeria in the foreground of the last pic??????????????????
Well thank to all... for the lovely complements... some how last year I missed responding...
so ...Aguane,, yes it is a plumeria you saw.. I have about 3 dozen orso.. cuttings...seedlings..and manyabout *' treees...pictured here for you..a new red bloom this year.. flowering is just getting going now ..only about 4 flowering now.. but many more.. including the first flowering for some Singapore seedlings.. due any time now..
Thanks Donna S.. It is a help to have some sort of wind break.. my fence has slats open a bit.. inbetween...to prevent pancakeing..which happens with a solid fence,, and the wind is diverted over..only to smash down on the garden from above..
Zhinu.. Good luck with your city space..every one has it's challanges... you have to match.. these with the ammount of effort you can devote to over comming them..
Quyen.. it's abit of work to have alawn anywhere ... there's only a1/2 "of sand as a base.. and then some sod spread on top... it's been grwoing for some 10 years or so.. every now and again... I'll roll out another sod later .. so there might be 2"-3" on top of the sand... yes it helps the temps below alot ... from 145 * + on the bare spots... to the ambient temps under the lawn ..potting.. or pond areas.. yes... I'm often found napping up there. or outright sleeping through the night ... readdng or just having fun.. on the couch
Pennerial--Donna.. oh it was aneasy matter ... I treat myself like a rented mule.. always a new project or aspect to address... and more and better.. to attend to...
AnnaBell52... well it's called carnival grass.. that purple bit... not hardy.. it made the trip downstairs.. under lights... but didn't make it through being brought back up outside in the spring... and icoldn't find it till late this summer... so I didn't have it this year... but there were new items of a similar nature up there now..
Ok more thanks in with the following picture...so here's a red plumeria
Gordon
Ok.. well along with the dozens of plumeria... there's a few dozen Brugmansias.. the angel trumpets ...here in containers.. may of these are over 8' tall as well.. here's a eastern planter of brugmansias... interesting aside from the knock out blooms.. and and an aroma that's really a knock out at night
... is the 22' that this fence runs ..and and it's planter.. with all of the trees that go along with it... are all suspended in mid air.. not just up on the roof...but the planter .. all 22 ft of it.. rests on 8" of the brick bearing wall on either end... and is a box beam spanning the 21 ft to the other side where it rests on 8 " of bearing wall on that side.. none of it sits on the roof it's self... so no roof load from any or all of it.. Like they say in TV... don't try this at home... seek professional advice..and consult your Doctor before under going an exercise regimen..
And have fun.... Gordon
yesterdays photo of the Brug hedge...can't really see thecoloration... but itgoespink white ..pink white.. Ollie is the first white.. a "Big Pink" ..UConn white..A frosty Pink.. a Shredded White.. another Pink and so on.. one disadvantage to roof growing.. is getting photos from enough distance to have the over all view appreciated.. Gordon
This message was edited Aug 18, 2006 5:16 AM
Now.. one more for now.. I've tried to get a night time shot I liked.. that showed the majesty of the view.. and the garden together .. for any that didn't see this posted In Putting down roots.. as Herpst mentioned.. this night time container shot Gordon
Well more photos.. only if I'm asked... HA ha HA
Gordon
Oh what beauty!!!! Give us more pictures.
Beautiful..yes show us more...and exlpain how you get your soil up there...makes me tired just thinking about it..!!
HA HA..Well..as a rented mule... Igetit all up on my back... butthe problem is getting it up and through the hatch... Idohavea worker.. now that can help me some days... and when I go away . [.I left it for three weeks this summer ] he'll watch the drip irigation.. and feed for me.. soIl;'' haveknockout flowerson my return..
SO what kind o fphotos do you want to see...
fabulous view...thanks for showing us the gorgeous beauty that you have!!!!
we wanna see everything....it is just breathtaking
GordonHawk,
Just looking at all of those pots that have to come inside for the winter makes me tired. I too grow some tropicals outside and schlep them up a couple of flights of stairs for the winter but most of my garden stays in the ground all year. I also live in zone 8 so I don't have to bring them in until November & they can go out again in April. Your garden is beautiful and you are amazing!
In one of your pictures that I saw on another thread, I noticed your pond was steaming. Do you use those electircal devices that they sell for tabletop fountains or did you find a super big one somewhere. I love the effect & would like to duplicate it inside a hollow concrete sphere I made. I have one small mist thingy but it doesn't produce as much mist as I'd like. I can get another of the same size but if there is a really large one available, I'd rather just get one larger one.
OH...Herpst... I posted a bunch of links to foggers.. but it doesn't seem to have made the thread ...somehow... there are bigger units... bigger jets... and groupings of multiple jets...here's a few links..maybe they will be posted for you this time..
http://www.pondusa.com/fogger.htm
http://www.mainlandmart.com/foggers.html
http://www.fountainology.com/aaccess1.html
Sticks N... ok.. some pictures from this morning then...
Thanks ...
Sticks N
and another for you there... Gordon
one more picture... unless there is an outcry for MORE..
thanks gordon ....i went thru all your threads and looked at all the pics you have posted over the years....really gorgeous and amazing that even tho you are in a certain zone ....your zone is different cause of being on a rooftop.....you know your stuff apparently.....cause it looks amazing
i just wish i had your knowledge about plants.....oh...and while i am wishing...i guess i wish i had your rooftop....and hmmmmm........the skys the limit(grin)
What kind of view would I like to see??????? I would love to see the view as you stand in your door that leads out into the garden. What is it lilke to wake to your city view???? I am a country girl and I have passed through New York several times but I just rushed through. I found it very intimidating. I really enjoyed the night view. shirleyt
Now where are the Coleus? Everything is so beautiful. I love the looks and the view. I spent the summer of 65 in Queens and never knew that people grew flowers on roof tops. Good going.
Lavinare
Thanks for the fogger links! Just what I was looking for!
Gordon,
What is that beautiful purple flower in your first pic? Not the 'spikey' one, but the many small flowers?
Love all your pics!
Marilyn
You are so blessed to have such beauty surrounding you in the concrete jungle. All the years of studying and working show in these pictures.
Leaf Lady..Well I just water and haul.. and perhaps arrange and exclude.. the Beauty just is..
MarilynBeth.. I believe it's a purple verbena..thanks for the complement...
Herpst...sure thing...I'm a promotor of ..the prehistoric
LavinaMae.. Leaf Lady... OH.. I give most of my coleus away.. I guess I grew too many of them years ago... I am developing an appreciation for them again..with so many new ones available.. I spent the summer of 65 in San Francisco...back then there was very little roof growing going on.. and Queens still lags behind the other boroughs..as they have more land to grow on.. It wasn't until '68 that I started roof growing... in big wooden barrels cut in 1/2... that were from importing anchovies... [ they would stack them on the street after unloading them...one 1/2 barrel for bathing and one 1/2 for growing..one 1/2 barrel for the Koi and water lilies.. one 1/2 barrel had the mango and coleus .. along with a lot of inside plant art.. dress making dummies..and manikins ...planted with hair of bridals veil.. a large Dieffenbachia planted in a human form.. planters cut into the loft floor so the soil level was the same as the floor level... and a large area around the bed.. that was planted with lawn..[ inside].. as well as other art pieces using plants..environmental art / computer art. a bit too early for both..
ShirleyT..OK we'll see what the first sight pictureis look like.. Well awakening on the roof... I guess it's the birds or squrrels that awaken you first.. cat birds and crows.. and sea gulls..or the blue eyed doves.. followed by the autos..fans and a/c units of the resturant near by..
Yes..NYC is difficult to visit.. and not at alll like living here.. it does take a few years to have a feel for what it is to be here.. I'm a Delta boy by birth... but I do love it here... I've a few relatives in New Orleans and vicinity so I get there quite often.. I love it there .. and would consider relocating.. got to get to somewhere warmer.. thisI guessis the first view...
Gordon
Another lovely year for you I see! Very nice!!! But where's your kitty?
This message was edited Aug 21, 2006 9:45 PM
Gordon,
Do you know what variety of the purple verbena it is?
Marilyn