ROOFTOP GARDEN DESIGN SYDNEY

There are some important considerations when designing an outdoor rooftop garden

• Measure the whole area including wall space.
• Priorities what you want to pack in bearing in mind the available space. 
• Utilise vertical spaces with vertical gardens or outdoor mirrors.
• Use compact tables and furniture.
• Create multi level planting with larger plants protected from the wind.
• Measure all the access points including lifts, fire stairs and doorways to ensure all the materials make it to the roof.
• Ensure body corporate approval where necessary – especially where roof garden architecture such as pergolas are required.

These design ideas are perfect for a cbd rooftop garden in Sydney or a residential roof garden.

Best rooftop gardens ideas

Young families will have different needs to downsizers,  so the best roof garden ideas keep all the garden elements minimal and low maintenance. 

• Maintain planting simplicity with a focus on shrubs and low maintenance grasses.
• Use plants that are wind and sun tolerant.
• Where possible, use vertical spaces efficiently with vertical gardens or other rooftop styling ideas.
• Utilise space effective pots and troughs that can create instant garden beds.
• Use compact outdoor furniture that can be installed on site.
• Create an outdoor irrigation system to keep the plants healthy.
• Consider an experienced rooftop garden design Sydney company such as Vogue & Vine.

Our horticultural planting plans helps soften rooftop gardens with plants that are wind, sun or shade tolerant.

Popular plants include;

• Native Australian Grasses – Drought tolerant and suitable for exposed conditions.
• Bamboo – We recommend Slender Weaver. Only suitable with an irrigation system.
• Succulents – Drought and sun tolerant requiring little maintenance.
• Star Jasmine – Can be trained to grow against your rooftop wall.

Best rooftop garden designer

We prefer not to introduce too much colour variety in smaller rooftop gardens. Our plant selections designs generally focus on achieving variety using different textures rather than colour.

Sydney rooftops vary in size significantly – from small residential apartment rooftops to larger commercial rooftops in Sydney’s CBD. Some rooftop and penthouse gardens can be massive with newer apartment rooftops being more compact.

The 2 key factors when considering cost are the size of the roof and the ease of access to the roof.

Other areas to consider when forming a budget include;

• New flooring or waterproofing.or tiling.
• Deckiing – natural timber vs man made decking.
• Plant size – established vs smaller plants.
• Pots – expensive handmade pots vs leightweight GRC or reinforced fibre glass
• Built in barbeque/outdoor kitchen.vs moveable outdoor barbecue installed on site.
• European outdoor furniture vs mass produced outdoor furniture.

Vogue & Vine provide a lengthy initial consultation to provide budget guidelines for your rooftop garden project.

These are the main benefits of Sydney roof garden

• Reduce thermal heat – Roof gardens act as a great urban insulator which is why green spaces are so important in our cities for energy efficiency.
• Noise reduction – The combination of soil and plants acts as a sound barrier and reduces the noise in our busy cities.
• Attract birds and other wildlife – Welcome back the birds and butterflies to your garden.
• Rainwater runoff – Rooftop plants absorb rainwater and can reduce runoff into our waterways.
• Improve air quality – Green roofs help filter the polluted air through the photosynthesis process. Imagine the reduction in smog if every CBD building had a green roof.
• Wellbeing – Green spaces on the roof provide contact with nature. This is proven to have mental health benefits and improve overall happiness.

Vogue & Vine design rooftop gardens in the following areas:

Eastern Suburbs rooftop designer, North Shore rooftop garden design, Inner-city rooftop landscape design