Hitting the roof
A quiet revolution is taking place on our rooftops. Homeowners seeking a therapeutic escape from fast-track lives are cultivating sophisticated and imaginative gardens high above the street. Forget dull decking and plastic planters: today’s roof gardens are wild jungles or oases of Zen-like calm with rockscapes, ponds and even lawns turning previously bleak and unused space into landscapes in the sky. What’s more, a wisely planted plot keeps the air cleaner, provides sound absorbency and encourages wildlife. It’s a trend running in tandem with greater interest in personal well-being. ”

Landscapes in the sky
Where once roof gardens were awkward to plant and laboursome to water, technical advances in irrigation systems mean that fully fledged gardens with beds and lawns can now be maintained relatively easily on rooftops. This gives the green light to some wildly imaginative planting schemes.

Clever optical illusions
New hardware designs are conquering space limitations. Floor areas are freed up by seats that fold back onto walls, tables that pop up from decking and hand-engineered fittings that enable vertical planting on walls and trellises. Clever optical illusions can conjure space literally out of thin air.

Sky-high woodland
Urban rooftops are often overlooked, but imaginative hardware can provide privacy, hide ugly views and reduce exposure to the elements. Screening is increasingly achieved by creating sky-high woodland. A glass pavilion with sliding or concertina doors offers elemental protection at rooftop level. It might also become a dining room. The latest fibre-optic lighting and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) add further vitality.