Back in late spring this year, I got the job of revamping and adding to a roof terrace, attached to a building that has a more conventional garden that I regularly work on. Up above the Thames at Chiswick, at Grove Park, the view is wonderful of the river, its wildfowl and other wildlife.
Such a site does present a problem to a gardener. The exposed situation is very windy, which both dries out plant-pots, and severely buffets the plant material.
As a result I chose subjects able to put up with both drought, full sun, and the strong winds. A combination of tender and hardy plants includes tender pelargoniums, hardy herbaceous geraniums, herbs such as thyme and oregano, catmints, lavender, hardy grasses, some climbers, roses and evergreens.
Overall it has been a great success, and my client is very happy with the results. Herbaceous geraniums – Geranium sanguineum striatum – a pale pink form of the native bloody cranesbill native to dunes in Cumbria, NW UK; G x riversleianum RUSSELL PRICHARD in magenta; tender Pelargonium THE BOAR, a scrambling tender almost shrub with abundant salmon flowers; blue bedding Lobelia erinus and a strong pink Verbena x hybrida, both in a trailing form; the grasses Festuca cinerea forming blue-leaved mounds; blue green upright Panicum virgatum NORTHWIND; a white lavender; blue catmints – Nepeta racemosa SIX HILL GIANT; N. x faassenii; and agapanthus; the silver trailer Dichondra micrantha SILVER FALLS; all of these have been particularly effective.
Evergreens include an oleander in a strong pink – Nerium oleander – which amazingly survived last winter – another potted specimen was severely damaged; Pittosporum tobira VARIEGATUM and Euonymus japonicus GREEN ROCKET. All are subjects good for seaside gardens, tolerating drought, wind and even stormy salt-laden gales.
The relatively mild winter – so far- has meant that the display has gone one and on. In fact about a fortnight ago I was tidying the plantings, cutting them back a little, but everything was still flowering well.
I look forward to seeing how the planting stands up to the winter. Fingers-crossed. However, I did take cuttings of all of the pelargoniums in August. These will overwinter indoors as an insurance policy.
