Kew with a view
Posted by Fitzroy Nursery on
If you were looking to pick the harshest location for plants you wouldn't have to look too far past this rooftop. This rooftop receives full sun from dawn to dusk and is exposed to winds from the north and west. On top of this exposure is a soil depth of only 10-15cm to work with! A true test of a plants tolerance to heat, dry and exposure.
For this project we have used English Lavender, Achillea milleflorum and clypeolata, Sedum 'Autumn Joy', Tulbaghia (Society Garlic), Armeria and Geranium 'Silver Cloak' for the main flowering show. For movement and texture we have used the grasses, Miscanthus 'Flamingo' and Pennisetum rubrum. Interplanted amongst everything is 5 different cultivars of creeping thyme in drifts of varying colours from white through pink and crimson to create a carpet and help suppress weeds and retain moisture.
The red colour of the soil is scoria. For this project the building company we worked with brought in a special lightweight, moisture retentive blend which has the added bonus of looking attractive as well.
The red earth also has the added bonus of tying in beautifully with the borrowed landscape of Yarra bend and Studley Park beyond.
With the protection of the Balustrade from gusting winds we added some taller flowering plants such as Agastache and Echinacea as well as some mediterranean herbs such as Rosemary, Sage, Thyme and Oregano.
The garden is repeated on both sides of the rooftop for a total footprint of 70M2.
