Gardening brings immense joy and can accommodate within every part of your residence and existence. Nowadays, terrace gardening has grown very trendy. Even the hanging planters at the balcony carrying hydrangeas and lilies look awesome. At times, what happens is, in an apartment with a common terrace, there is an area shortage. It is always better hence, to plant flowers and other plants in planters or containers. The containers occupy the minimal space possible.
You can choose shallow clay containers or deep and narrow plastic containers. The variety of containers are large and befitting to particular kinds of plants. Firstly, deciding upon container gardening at the roof top, certain things ought to be researched about. The key things to remember have been documented below.
The 5 best tips to remember for container gardening at the terrace
1. Gauge the strength of the roof top
If not very strong, then plant pots of herbs and succulents. If the terrace is really strong, then you can place large tub like planters to grow palms and dwarfed banyan trees. The roof top if strong enough can be decorated with broken furniture. The furniture then can be beautified with baskets of hydrangea and hyacinths.
2. The size of the container
The size of the container is very important. Likewise, for plants that have shallow roots, can be grown in almost flat containers. Plants such as tomatoes or pumpkins as such so not have long or steady roots, hence can grow well in shallow containers. However, tomatoes, pumpkins and gourds need vertical support to grow and flower.
For plants that are bushy and sturdy like roses and gerbera can be grow in medium sized containers. The containers should be hard enough to bear them. These plants need constant pruning and via grafting, they can be expanded.
It is not necessary that short plants will always have short and shallow roots. likewise, plants like spider plants or crown of thorns have quite sturdy roots. Hence, the containers should be tough and should be made of thick material.
3. The external factors
The containers and the respective plants should be such so that the external factors like the heat, wind and water cannot harm them adversely. The plants like herbs such as basil and chives cannot grow in direct sunlight. They always need a shade yet to some extent can resist some warmth. Plants like palm trees and magnolias love bright light. Hence, can be planted in broad and deep planters. These trees tend to be heavier so, cannot be often be shifted to new places. Decide well upon the places where you wish to grow them, or else it might be a problem at the latter phase.
Flowers like white and yellow pinwheels tend to wither away under too much wind. Plant these flowers in small containers and place them under the shade of a slightly sturdier plant. Hence, the pinwheels then can blossom in full bloom with ease.
4. The material of the container
Not all containers can carry or bear the weight of all plants. Japanese wisteria or blue fescue for example cannot be grown in same or alike planters. The material of the container is of utmost importance. You can use clay or thick plastic containers. Keep in mind, due to the paucity of space on the terrace, large planters are never good. Build tiny planters out of scratch or out of old unused materials. You can use glass jars or vintage pickle cans or broken plastic bottles or mugs. Every bit of a container can be used to grow plants. While preparing the containers, kindly leave a tiny hole at the base. This tiny hole will help the excess water to drain out.
5. The particular plants for the container terrace garden
Having decided upon the material and the size of the containers, it is equally important to understand which particular plant to be grown. You can grow Daylilies, Dwarf hinoki cypress, Ajuga, Roses and also Chinese Evergreen. There are many plants that can be grown in containers and can be placed on the roof top. For heightening the colour of the roof top, you can plant Chrysanthemums, Dahlias and vibrant coloured pansies. Even Areca palms and Syngonium are great treats at the roof tops beside the flowery bushes of petunias and zinnias.
Conclusion
The beauty of gardening should not be restricted only to your backyard or to the balconies. Even the roof tops are wonderful areas to grow beautiful greenery. With the varied containers available, it is very easy to grow plants anywhere and everywhere. All the more, plants at the roof tops will make your terrace evening walks more magical. Hopefully, these tips will help your terrace garden as well.