The foundation

There’s an elevated deck, with a rectangular water feature, on the terrace to put out small coffee tables to entertain friends. The adjoining room serves as a lounge

When levelling the terrace floor, make sure that it’s slightly inclined towards the drain, so that water doesn’t stagnate.

Use a good landscape architect or designer to make a layout of how you want the terrace to look. This person will be able to guide you about the layout of planting surfaces, water features like fountains, shallow ponds, etc.

Waterproof the areas or patches where you want to grow plants or grass... or place water features.

Ask an architect to make planter boxes (concrete structures in which plants are grown) using bricks, stone or concrete.

PREPARING PLANTER BOXES

Planter boxes are placed at different levels (instead of in a line) for visual appeal

Waterproof the insides of planter boxes, so that water doesn’t seep out of them when you water the plants.

Put a 3-3½” layer of broken bricks (2” in size) inside the planter boxes.

Fill half of each planter box with soil or coir dust (coconut husk fibre).

6 things to do

Plant only shrubs in a terrace garden. A tree has deep roots and if you plant them, you will soon see its roots in the rooms below the terrace.

The plants should be at eye-level because flowers usually bloom on the top branches.

Shrubs that tend to grow tall should be pruned. Plants that are not trimmed begin to resemble small trees.

Plants should typically be placed in three rows, with the taller ones at the back or against the wall and the shortest in the front row.

Creepers hide unappealing concrete structures and add greenery on walls

Plant creepers in the front row so that these hang out of boxes and cover the concrete. If, however, there are patterns or designs on your planter boxes, you can do away with creepers.

Incorporate a seating area. If you have space after creating a seating area and play zone, add a barbecue/party counter.

4 things to avoid

A poorly planned terrace garden. Poorly-designed gardens and improper waterproofing result in leaking roofs.

Too many features like fountains, planter boxes and statues that take up space and don’t add to the beauty. A terrace garden should be functional. However big or small your rooftop garden is, ensure that a part of it has hard surface without grass or plants. This space can be used for parties or as play zone for kids, for taking morning walks or for hanging clothes.

Incorporating harsh lighting.

Going bare for a few months. The garden should be a blend of flowers that grow in winter and summer, so that it never looks empty.

Sonali planned this pretty rooftop water fountain for Madhu Changoiwala. “I wanted an ecological balance in my house and I love plants. A terrace garden is the best way I can connect with nature because there is no space for a (conventional) garden,” says the Sambhunath Pandit Street resident.

Text: Neha Banka
Pictures: Pabitra Das