Many of us plan on having a rooftop garden. After all, there is no better way to spend your leisure time than by sitting on a comfortable chair on your roof and enjoying the view. For many of you, the garden might even be something of a hobby. Perhaps you want to grow fresh fruits or vegetables there for your consumption. Whatever be the reason, having a rooftop garden is never a bad idea. And if you are thinking of building one on your roof, here are a few tips that might be useful to you.

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#1 Planning the Layout

Before setting up the garden, you need to plan the garden’s layout first. While doing so, you must take a few things into account. Start by doing a quick survey of the available space on your rooftop or terrace. Take note of every corner and measure out the floor space. Next, decide where you want to place your plants. They should be placed in an area that gets sufficient sunlight during the day. Your plan should also include a space where people can sit and enjoy some quality time together.

These are just some of the basics of planning a rooftop garden layout. Your garden plan will include additional features according to your liking.

#2 Ensuring Open Space

Your garden should not take away the open views of the rooftop. The garden should merely complement those views. There is no point in setting up such a garden with sitting arrangements unless you and your guests can enjoy the view. Hence, you must keep plenty of open space in your rooftop garden. People should be able to enjoy the views from the garden. They should also be able to move around the place freely.

#3 Growing a Variety of Plants

The initial selection of plants should be based on the weather in your area. Then, you should look into the beautification aspect of this project and choose plants that meet the criteria. Go for different types of flowers and leafy plants. Try to bring in some variation in the greenery. 

If beautification is not your priority, you can grow fruits and vegetables in your garden as well. That, of course, will require a whole other level of planning, preparation, and maintenance.

#4 Bringing in Some Nice Furniture

Some of the most common terrace furniture includes cane chairs, tables, and sun loungers. Visit Rattan Sun Loungers to check out some of the best lounges and poolside furniture for the garden. The overall idea is to keep the furniture design to a bare minimum. They should not look overwhelming. Thus, it is better to avoid leather sofas. Try keeping things minimal. Your garden and its surrounding views should be the key attractions of the rooftop, not the furniture. If you are not a fan of cane, you can also try out bamboo or metal furniture. Avoid plastic furniture pieces, as they don’t last as long as the other options. 

#5 Adding Ambient Lighting

Adding led strips or tubes around the garden floors will help elevate the ambiance during the night. The scenario is quite common in rooftop restaurants and bars. The lighting makes for a really good mood. You can try out different color combinations. Red and blue are quite common. Green is also a color that is widely used in rooftop gardens. You could even try out those color-changing LED strips if you cannot make up your mind on a specific color. Or just go for yellow if you want something soothing and classy.

#6 Have a Shaded Area

The shaded area is mostly for using the rooftop facilities during the day, especially on a hot summer noon. After all, you would not want to sit directly under the scorching sun. The shaded place can even be an entire room. Instead of brick walls, you can have glass ones so you can still enjoy the views. Constructing a whole room can take up a lot of space. Thus, it is preferable to just have a small area with a shade built on top of it. 

#7 Installing a Water Tap

You will have to water your plants regularly. So, to make things easier, you should have access to water on your rooftop. A simple pipe and tap arrangement with the rooftop water tank will be more than enough for this purpose. Or you can set up a system of drip irrigation for automatic watering of your plants.

Once you have taken these things into account, it is time to get started. Take your time while building the garden. Your priority should be perfection rather than getting it done quickly.