ALL ABOUT ROOF GARDENS

Look aloft, to the top of the buildings… a roof garden design is outward looking, a designed sanctuary high up on top of a building, sometimes with an endless panorama, a bright, beautiful, and open sky above it.  Most appropriately, it fits today’s city dweller with their overscheduled, time challenged lives. 

For many, traveling to a city park takes a 1/2 hour or longer to embrace nature; walking up a flight of stairs or out their side door to a shared or private roof garden designed and built by their landscape designer is but seconds away and “immediately gratifying.” A place to look at and admire the blue skies at day and heavens at night. It is a place to relax and re-energize, a place to reflect and even to pray. We enjoy company and serve them meals below the heavens; illuminate our garden space with lights and torches for ambiance at dusk.

As a NYC garden designer creating roof gardens I can attest that the value and benefits of a roof garden design is much more than aesthetics and increased real estate value.  

HERE ARE TEN ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL BENEFITS TO A ROOF GARDEN

THE VALUE OF GARDEN DESIGN IN NEW YORK CITY

Garden design is vital to the value of your property. When you hire a landscape designer for a New York City garden, you are guaranteeing your property will not only always be beautiful, but will continue to grow in value. As any realtor will tell you, the exterior captures the market’s attention.

A garden is a personal and intimate undertaking. Its landscape design is as important as the design of the kitchen, the floors or what color you choose to paint the bedroom. It’s about balance and color, circulation and form, and practices of contrast and repetition. A garden can be as simple as planting a few perennials or beginning with a full blown architectural design. It all boils down to the same intent: creating a visually appealing backdrop for your property, an extension of your indoor space.

When you hire a landscape designer for a New York City garden, you are pretty much guaranteeing the purpose of your garden will be fulfilled at every level. Even a small garden can be a challenge. Plant selection and taking advantage of limited space requires a range of techniques that a professional has been trained to utilize. That includes proven tactics like “creating illusions,” making small environments seem larger through proper placement. 

Choosing plants must be approached carefully. It is a critical component in designing a garden. Yet the average person tends to select plants based on tastes and colors. But if you hire a landscape designer for a New York City garden, their advisement will include horticultural knowledge, planting ideas and color theory. They will know all the variables for selecting winning combinations and circumvent the trial and error that can go into creating a great garden.

When you go the smart route and hire a landscape designer for a New York City garden, whether it be a vertical landscape or a backyard design, you are accessing a wealth of information that you will never get out of a book, the Internet or a TV show. You will be partnered with a professional. Landscape design is an independent profession with a design and art tradition, combining nature and culture with knowledge of design, planning, architecture, sustainability and horticulture. They will be able to explain the viability of your designs and the most cost effective ways to implement them. Plus, they will have a directory of satisfied customers and a portfolio of images that demonstrate why you want a professional to work with you.

To hire a landscape designer for a New York City garden is to better define the purpose of your garden and ensure a successful execution of ideas.

GARDEN JOKES TO SHARE WITH YOUR CHILDREN

A compilation of gardening jokes from a New York City garden designer and father to his peers.  Enjoy. 

© Peanuts, Charles Schultz

"What did the carrot say to the wheat?
Lettuce rest, I'm feeling beet."
-  Shel Silverstein

Why do potatoes make good detectives?
Because they keep their eyes peeled.

What kind of socks does a gardener wear?
Garden hose.

Why did the tomato turn red?
Because it saw the salad dressing.

With fronds like these, who needs anemones.

Knock, Knock!
Who's there?
Lettuce.
Lettuce who?
Lettuce in, its cold out here!!

What do you call two young married spiders?
Newly webs.  

MORE GARDENING JOKES TO SHARE WITH YOUR CHILDREN

MORE GARDEN JOKES FOR YOUR CHILDREN

What do you get if you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its diameter?
Pumpkin pi.

What do you get if you cross a dog with a daisy?
A colli-flower. 

Why is a barn so noisy?
All the cows have horns. 

What do you call it when worms take over the world?
Global Worming.

How well is your garden growing?
Only thyme will tell. 

What did the banana do when it saw the monkeys?
Split. 

"You'll never get me up in one of those!" declared the caterpillar to the butterfly.

Why did the Golden Delicious go to jail?
Because he was a rotten apple. 

BROOKLYN BROWNSTONES: SMALL GARDEN DESIGN

Brooklyn garden design is garden planning for a relatively small, private space. 

Typical building plots average 100’ long by 20’ wide for Brooklyn brownstone properties and Brooklyn townhouse properties. Many of these brownstone yards are 40'-55' deep.  Some have a terrace overlooking the yard. These small, but charming "jewelry box" size backyards with fences can become highly developed areas behind the house.  This private area can be designed based upon functionality and programming.  Some people want a private, serene area to use for relaxation and the enjoyment of weekend breakfast on the patio; others want a safe space for their unsupervised children to play in.  A clever garden design can usually tick all the boxes of your wish list.   Whether you create a vegetable garden or a garden retreat a garden designer can assist you.

Designing a garden begins with a plan.

Tucked away in the heart of the metropolis, these small sanctuaries of verdant nature are enclosed by fences and large apartment buildings.  Challenges such as noise, lack of sunlight (at times), pollution and the eyes of curious neighbors all make these “giardino segrettos” (secret gardens) very difficult to create without a solid garden design plan.  With a carefully designed garden plan, the lack of outward views will no longer be a limiting factor, rather an opportunity to take advantage of.  Just think of all the beautiful medieval cloister gardens!

 

A garden design plan takes into account the opportunities and constraints of a site.

Some design solutions for difficult environments such as intrusive neighbors would be a vertical landscape design, in essence a vegetative screen.  Harsh climates and microclimates can be addressed with native plants and understanding your plant zones. If a certain plant is “tender” it can be situated on a southern exposure close to the residence. Radiant heat of the building and obstruction of strong winds will temper freezing effects a few degrees.

 

Maintenance of a custom garden design.

Find garden inspiration for your brooklyn garden design by looking at contemporary garden design photos.  It’s critical to remember that the gardening design should depend upon your lifestyle.  People with hectic lifestyles may need to consider low maintenance gardens if they are not going to practice garden maintenance themselves or hire a garden maintenance company.

 

You can choose a garden style from among the many types, such as:

Zen garden design

Romantic garden design

Exuberant garden design

Contemporary garden design

Potager garden design

Classic garden design

Exotic garden design

Whether it’s one of these styles or a combination you should have a garden design that works!

The design should:

  • Define the principal walkway and circulation

  • Create transitions by variations in level or material or perspective

  • Define garden rooms

  • Incorporate garden “nooks” to add complexity

  • Work with the surrounding landscape

  • Solve existing challenges

  • Address your needs and aspirations

 

Ideas for a Brooklyn garden design are endless.  The ultimate goal is to turn your small backyard, patio or balcony into an "oasis."

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