Rooftop garden ideas pictures

15 Rooftop Garden Design Ideas and Tips

Whether you have a rooftop garden already or you are planning to have one, these

Rooftop Garden Design Ideas will come in handy!

In densely populated urban areas of the cities, having a small rooftop or patio is such a boon! If you want to utilize the space wisely, then take help from these Rooftop Garden Design Ideas!

Here are the best container vegetables for a Rooftop Garden

Rooftop Garden Design Ideas and Tips

We have some great terrace garden design ideas and essential tips that you can use for inspiration on your rooftop.

1. Keep it Open

secretgardens.com.au

A small rooftop looks big if you are not going to fill it with a lot many things. A transparent glass instead of a parapet wall, fences, or railing will be great!

2. Create Some Privacy

houzz

If you have an open terrace, then growing climbing plants for privacy would be a great idea. Clematis, Climbing roses, and English Ivy are some of the best options you have! You can also use a bamboo screen, drapes or set up a wooden frame.

3. Grow Tall Plants and Trees

If you have a large rooftop, you can plant tall trees and shrubs to utilize the space to the fullest. Growing bamboos and grasses is a good combination if you want to make it low maintenance.

4. Create Raised Beds

Creating raised beds adjacent to the roof walls is a good idea. You can add wooden raised beds or ones that are made from metal. If you like, you can also construct concrete raised beds and grow tall shrubs and small trees in them.

Ensure you use a waterproofing membrane and lay a thick barrier that can block roots and prevent damage to the roof. One more idea is to make slightly elevated raised beds from the surface. That way, the roots of the plants may not be able to penetrate.

5. Plant Carefully

When it comes to rooftop garden design, ensure you maintain the diversity in the size of the plants. A few large plants, shrubs, and small trees, ground covers, annuals must be there. Also, buy containers of different sizes, as this will give a great look to your rooftop garden.

6. Add Furniture

Decide in advance what kind of furniture you would like to purchase. Would you like to lounge on the roof terrace or want to have dinner there? You must make a choice in the initial stage. Furniture that fits the style and theme of your roof garden would be more appropriate.

7. Add a Focal Point

Anything can be a focal point that draws attention. A water feature, tall tree, a beautiful arrangement of container plants, or simply a statue would be a great addition to the roof garden.

8. Introduce Lights

It is important that your rooftop garden is well-lit during the evening, especially near the stairwell or door. Moreover, lighting a roof will make it look larger during dusk.

9. Use No More than Three Colors

Always choose one color as an accent shade and one or two more hues that follow. Using several different colors for walls, floor, railings, furniture, or containers can make your rooftop look too busy and cluttered.

A color combined with a neutral color works best. Neutral colors like white, gray, beige, indigo also accentuate the beauty of plants.

10. Utilize the Vertical Space

patio-scapes

Utilize vertical space to add more appeal to your rooftop garden. Hang planters on the walls, use railing planters, and grow a lot of climbers.

11. Nice Floor is Important

Don’t avoid the flooring. Choose a type that fits your budget, suits the climate you live in, and accommodates the theme of the rooftop garden.

12. Play with Colors and Plant Types

Use cool and warm colors in balance to get a beautiful look. On a well-planned urban rooftop garden, everything is possible! Grow trees, shrubs, foliage plants, and annuals for a burst of different shades!

13. Rooftop Sitting Area

A rooftop barbeque, bar, or a mini kitchen along with some plants would be a great place to throw mini parties. You can have a lovely weekend right at your terrace that way!

14. A Mini Pool

A mini pool on the terrace surrounded by lush green tropical plants is a dream for many. If you don’t have a big terrace, then you can make a mini pool and add plants in containers.

15. Become a Rooftop Homesteader

A rooftop is a great place to grow fruits, vegetables, herbs, and salads of your choice. Become a rooftop homesteader and grow your own food with ease.

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9 Remarkable Rooftop Garden Designs Around the World

Gardens + Landscapes

Great architecture, transportive greenery, and some pretty incredible views

By Lindsey Mather

September 23, 2016

For city dwellers green space is hard to come by—at least when it’s on the ground level. Rooftop gardens and green roofs are the new backyards, as shown in the book Living Roofs (teNeues, $55). Author Ashley Penn, a landscape architect and Chartered Member of the United Kingdom’s Landscape Institute, catalogues the plants and materials used in 35 projects across the globe, from Austin, Texas, to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The benefits of a living roof don’t stop at the natural beauty it provides. “As well as additional living space, green roofs can add a whole host of other benefits, including increasing the value of properties, supporting biodiversity, filtering air pollution, and even mitigating stormwater runoff and alleviating overflow,” Penn writes. Whether you’d want to tackle a high-maintenance green roof, complete with large trees, or plant a small container garden, the resulting space can act as an additional outdoor room for all the al fresco lounging, dining, and entertaining you can fit into a summer season.

Photo: Nikolas Koenig Photography/Courtesy of HMWhite
Tribeca Penthouse Garden, New York City
Here a mountainlike timber bench emerges from a modular stone-and-lawn landscape, HMWhite’s ode to the architecture of the building. The stainless-steel hot tub, surrounded by prairie-like grasses, might just be the perfect spot to take in the Manhattan skyline.
Photo: Bilyana Dimitrova
East Village Rooftop Garden, New York City
The Empire State Building is visible from a certain angle on this roof, but a custom oak water feature and Japanese wisteria-covered pergola ensure that the Pulltab-designed space feels like a calming oasis away from it all.
Photo: JoeFletcher.com
Hilgard Garden, Berkeley, California
Mary Barensfeld Architecture’s modern take on a terraced garden, this cast concrete structure uses ramps, rather than steps, for climbing up and down the greenery. A mini ipe-wood terrace toward the top provides a bird’s-eye view of the reflecting pond in the center.
Photo: Matteo Carassale
Archilabo, Milan
This industrial fifth-floor terrace, one of three in the residence, by landscape architect Cristina Mazzucchelli, has galvanized steel drum planters and a concrete outdoor kitchen, softened by feathery grasses and perennial plants.

Photo: Matteo Carassale
Romolo Private Terrace, Milan
By using plants as walls, Mazzucchelli designed three distinct spaces—a dining area, large lounge, and cozy relaxation nook—in this open-layout terrace. Purple chairs pair perfectly with similarly hued Japanese maples, geraniums, and sedums.
Photo: JoeFletcher.com
Mill Valley Cabins, Mill Valley, California
While these two cabins almost blend into their environment, they deserve a closer look. On top of the lower one is a green roof designed by Feldman Architecture, Inc., which is studded with succulents that help intercept rushing rainwater.
Photo: Clive Nichols
Roof Terrace in Holland Park, London
Charlotte Row Garden Design framed this modern ipe-wood terrace with plants that have shallow roots, such as alliums and tulips, so the design wouldn’t be too heavy for the historic building to support.

Roof plots and gardens - 135 best photos, landscaping of the plot, garden and garden decking

Chelsea Contemporary Roof Garden with Pergola and Lattices

Amber Freda Garden Design

The rustic ranch look of knotty cedar fencing gets a contemporary twist in our design of this Chelsea rooftop garden. This fencing gives some much needed privacy from a common roof, while the black and tan pergola casts a bit of welcome shade for seating on a sunny south-facing roof. Additional design elements include artificial turf, contemporary outdoor furniture, black fiberglass planters, and geometric custom lattices. When we first saw this roof garden’s existing pavers, they were very weathered and benefited greatly from a power washing to help clean and brighten them up, which made them look brand new again. Plantings include wisteria, clematis, and Patriot hostas. See more of our projects at www.amberfreda.com.

Zen garden under stairs

The Japanese Garden

An example of a Japanese garden has lot options. This space only measure 8ft x 4ft (3 square meters) As you can see in the photos, we incorporated a tsukubai (Japanese source) and a karesansui (sand garden) This work was carried in only 3 days !!!

Artificial Grass for Rooftops, Decks and Patios

SYNLawn

With SYNLawn artificial grass, you can enjoy the soft feel of grass under your bare feet as you enjoy outdoor living on your balcony. Our HeatBlock™ technology keeps things comfortable for year-round enjoyment even during the hottest of days. © SYNLawn artificial grass - all rights reserved.

Villa Balboa

JEM4 design

Villa Balboa is a 10,000 square foot oceanfront villa on the Pacific in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The design, general contracting and project management was done entirely by JEM4 design. We were responsible for everything from rough construction all the way to the custom furniture design. This is one of the most unique and creative villas in all of Mexico. The website for the home is www.villabalboa.com.

Cain House

Robert Shuler Design

Carmel HIghlands Modern
Pictured: sunny lot and well lit modern roof garden

Prewar Classic Penthouse

Iris Kaplow Landscapes, Inc.

Prewar classic penthouse terrace, with a modern design intended to refresh the outdoor living space and make it more functional for the present day while providing an attractive aesthetic.

une terrasse foisonnante!

L'esprit au vert

Example of original design: Neoclassical (modern classic) medium sized rooftop lot and garden with privacy partition

Think Outside Gardens

This coastal rooftop was transformed from a barren windswept space into a modern outdoor entertainer complete with floating built in lounge, daybed and bar. The design is simple yet bold using a limited palette of strong colors and materials similar to the contemporary interior of the residence. Striking elements include the timber deck curving up in a wave shape and the apple green color of the wall behind. Furnishings and plants in the same green or bright white further add to the fresh eye popping composition. Perfect for intimate drinks on a summers evening or partying into the night.

Chelsea Creek Penthouse Roof Terrace

Aralia: Innovation in Landscape Design

Chelsea Creek is the pinnacle of sophisticated living, these penthouse collection gardens, featuring stunning contemporary exteriors are London's most elegant new dockside development, by St George Central London, they are due to be built in Autumn 2014 Following on from the success of her stunning contemporary Rooftop Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012, Patricia Fox was commissioned by St George to design a series of rooftop gardens for their Penthouse Collection in London. Working alongside Tara Bernerd who has designed the interiors, and Broadway Malyon Architects, Patricia and her team have designed a series of London rooftop gardens, which although individually unique, have an underlying design thread, which runs throughout the whole series, providing a unified scheme across the development. Inspiration was taken from both the architecture of the building, and from the interiors, and Aralia working as Landscape Architects developed a series of Mood Boards depicting materials, features, art and planting. This groundbreaking series of London rooftop gardens embraces the very latest in garden design, encompassing quality natural materials such as corten steel, granite and shot blasted glass, whilst introducing contemporary state of the art outdoor kitchens, outdoor fireplaces, water features and green walls. Garden Art also has a key focus within these London gardens, with the introduction of specially commissioned pieces for stone sculptures and unique glass art. The linear hard landscape design, with fluid rivers of under lit glass, relate beautifully to the linearity of the canals below. The design for the soft landscaping schemes were challenging – the gardens needed to be relatively low maintenance, they needed to stand up to the harsh environment of a London rooftop location, whilst also still providing seasonality and all year interest. The planting scheme is linear, and highly contemporary in nature, evergreen planting provides all year structure and form, with warm rusts and burnt orange flower head’s providing a splash of seasonal colour, complementary to the features throughout. Finally, an exquisite lighting scheme has been designed by Lighting IQ to define and enhance the rooftop spaces, and to provide beautiful night time lighting which provides the perfect ambiance for entertaining and relaxing in. Aralia worked as Landscape Architects working within a multi-disciplinary consultant team which included Architects, Structural Engineers, Cost Consultants and a range of sub-contractors.

Roof Deck Living

Christy Webber Landscapes

With amazing city views, its hard not to want to spend all your time living outside. With this design, you can. In one corner you have planters packed with seasonal vegetables that can be picked, rinsed and served, all within about 10 footsteps. Want some protein with that? no problem. The outdoor kitchen is set to feed a crowd, all while engaging friends over the bar, and into the dining area. Here, with built-in retractable pergola canopies, you can control your environment to whatever shade, sun, or night sky setting you desire. And then, when you can eat no more, kick-back and relax in the comfy, heated lounge seating area.

100 photos of beautiful design ideas

Contents:

Pros and cons of a roof garden
Roof garden and its varieties
Creating a roof garden and choosing plants

In today's world, everyone strives to create comfortable conditions for life, surrounding yourself with something beautiful. Flowers not only attract with their appearance, but also create a special atmosphere, enliven the space. Of course, it is customary to place them in a flower bed near the house, but if you live in an apartment building, then you do not have such an opportunity. Moreover, in small areas, a place for a garden is also not always possible to find, but there is a way out - the arrangement of a garden on the roof. This idea has become so popular that it is used as an original way of landscaping, both in the city and beyond. What types of garden are there, how to create it yourself on the roof of your house? More on this later.

Pros and cons of a roof garden

First of all, it is worth mentioning the negative aspects, because the only drawback of a roof garden is the fact that it is extremely difficult to arrange it yourself. In most cases, you have to contact special companies, where experienced builders and architects will help you think over the landscape design correctly, and then bring it to life.

But as for the advantages of a roof garden, it is worth noting here:

Improving the environmental situation, which is especially important for large cities with multi-storey buildings and a minimum number of plantings. A rooftop garden is a way out of the situation, which will allow you to make the air clean without taking up valuable space. In addition, green plants prevent the greenhouse effect, which will also have a positive effect on the microclimate.

Improving the sound and heat insulation properties of the house. The roof garden reduces noise levels by regulating the amount of heat entering the home. As a result, the house with a roof garden will be warm in winter and cool in summer, which saves on heating and air conditioning.

A roof garden is not only an opportunity to save space, but also a building compensation, since the planting area is the same as that of a built house.
Green spaces and ground cover extend the life of the roof, providing it with reliable protection from moisture, ultraviolet radiation and other negative influences.

If you put a couple of chairs and a table on the roof, you can arrange a comfortable relaxation area where you can spend time alone or with your family, enjoying the scent of flowers.
A roof garden can prevent flooding by trapping moisture and absorbing the impact.
Private or multi-apartment house with a roof garden not only captivates with its originality, but also attracts with its appearance, bold design decision.

Roof garden and its varieties

Depending on the type of roof landscaping, the garden can be:

Extensive.
Intensive.

In the first case, the structure is located on lightweight soil, the thickness of which is no more than 15 centimeters. Such a garden will protect the roof surface from external factors and create an autonomous ecosystem. To create an extensive roof garden, you need to choose unpretentious plants, such as evergreens. It will not be possible to equip a recreation area here, since this method of landscaping is usually used on the roofs of outbuildings, gazebos and small private houses.

The Intensive Garden is a full size garden with walking paths and a seating area. Moreover, it assumes the presence of a fountain and other reservoirs, therefore, it is necessary to create a solid foundation that can withstand the ground cover, the thickness of which is 1.5-2 meters. Of course, such a garden is better suited for apartment buildings and hotels, but it can also be arranged on the roof of a private house. As for the structure of the roof, depending on it, the garden can be:

Pitched - allows you to equip an extensive garden.
Flat.

Creating a roof garden and choosing plants

As mentioned earlier, the technological process of arranging a roof garden is extremely complex and is best left to specialists. Despite this, it is important to know the features of creating a garden so that you can take an active part in ennobling the roof or control the process of its arrangement. Stages of work:

Foundation preparation. Usually the first layer of the garden is the supporting structure of the roof. For example, on a flat roof, the base will be a reinforced concrete slab, and if there are roofing materials, they must be removed, providing a continuous crate. If we talk about a flat roof, it is important to understand that for the natural outflow of water, it is necessary to provide a minimum angle of inclination (1-2 degrees).
Next, you need to fix the waterproofing film, the installation of which prevents leakage. If the installation of waterproofing is not of high quality, then this can lead housing to an uninhabitable state. The best option for waterproofing is a roll-type bitumen-polymer material.

The next layer of the “pie” is thermal insulation, which can be used as polystyrene foam or polyurethane boards, the seams between which are removed with special glue.
Next, you need to protect the roof from the root system by fixing the root protection membrane - a polymer gasket with special cells.
The geotextile is then laid down and then a drainage system is installed to control the amount of moisture.
The next stage is the laying of the second geotextile layer, after which you can work on the ground. It is worth noting that soil without additives and ordinary chernozem are not used, you need to buy special soil filled with various rocks (shale and peat, clay and sand, expanded clay and perlite).
The final stage is planting.

Creating a solid foundation for your roof garden is an important step, but just as important is the choice of plants. To improve the surface, you need to choose unpretentious plants that are quietly adjacent to each other. In addition, on the roof, the plants are in windy and sunny conditions, and the ground is thin and freezes quickly in winter. As a result, the requirements for choosing a plant for a roof garden are as follows:

Resistant to dry weather and UV rays.
Wind resistant.
Learn more