Rooftop Gardening Guide

Rooftop gardening and gardening in the ground are VERY different things. There are many factors that you need to consider when rooftop gardening. We have created a guide to some of these factors.

This is based off experience and is our rule of thumb. It’s not proven science...yet.

Rooftop garden with Red Cedar and Baptisia by Staghorn NYC (us!)

PLANTS

When choosing plants, you want to make sure they are super tough and hardy. For help making this selection, check out two of our other posts to read about some super tough perennials and things to consider when selecting rooftop trees.

GROWTH

This applies to growing in planters on ground level or roof level.

Plants grown in the ground grow faster and larger than when grown in planters.

When a plant is grown in ground, it’s roots have ample room to reach and grow. In a planter, roots are limited to the space of the planter. The above-ground plant generally grows as much as its roots can support. When root growth is limited, the above-ground plant’s growth is also limited.

Also, some faster growing plants can become root bound in a planter after time and will need to be repotted. Larger planters allow for more root growth and thus larger plants.

Root bound plant

WINTER

Plants have hardiness zones which are the areas in which they are capable of growing well. This is dependent on the minimum temperatures which the plant can stand. Zone 1 is pretty frigid and zone 12 is the tropics. New York is said to be zone 7.

Link to map

As soon as you put a plant into a planter, you should consider that environment 1 zone lower. This is on ground level, not on a terrace/rooftop/or balcony - so now we're talking zone 6.

Put that planter on a rooftop and drop it down another zone - zone 5

If you're over 10 stories high, a good rule of thumb is to take it down another zone - zone 4

A good comparison is the bridge freezes before road in the winter  - just like a bridge, a planter will lose heat from the top and from the sides, and to an extent from the bottom, causing it to freeze faster. An in-ground garden, like a road, only loses heat from its surface, and otherwise remain insulated by earth

WIND

Amsonia blowing in the wind

Some rooftop/terrace/balcony gardens are taken to the next level of extreme with the wind factor. Depending on how protected or exposed your space is will determine how important the wind factor is in your plant choice.

Evergreens are the only plants that keep their leaves through the frigid, windy winter months. Thus, they are the only ones that experience the worst the wind factor has to give: winter burn. Here is an article about preventing and dealing with winter burn.

The size and shape of your plants will also determine how well they will hold up in the wind. Top heavy plants, ones with large blooms are more susceptible to breaky in the wind. For example, peonies won't do so well, but amsonia is great.

WATER

Since planters are confined spaces, they can dry out pretty quickly, especially on a dry, windy, sunny day on a rooftop. They should be watered between 4-5 times a week depending on the size/depth of the planter.

We highly recommend irrigation systems to all of our clients, friends, families, and complete strangers. They save lives, plant lives.

PLANTERS

Planter garden by Staghorn NYC

Terracotta - Don't bother unless your plants are small and you're cool with them being possibly disposable.

Wood - Be careful here. Quality wood and craftsmanship can give you a great planter that'll look beautiful and last years. We recommend going with custom built. If you can’t, make sure it’s good quality teak, cedar, or ipe, otherwise you’re looking at a rotten mess a few years down the line.

Fiberstone - A good buy, pricey, but worth it. Comes in nice colors, very lightweight and easy to move, super sturdy, and won't crack in winter.

Metal - Wouldn’t mess with anything outside of Cor-Ten steel

Plastic - May surprise you with some positives, but it’s plastic, so manage those expectations.

Know Your Weeds, NYC

They’re in the cracks in the pavement, on the fences, sometimes growing out of buildings! and in your garden. Weeds! It’s good to know your weeds. Some are edible, or have medicinal properties, while others may be poisonous, but most are quite invasive. That’s what makes them a weed! Here are a few common weeds of New York

Ailanthus altissima, Tree of Heaven

This weedy tree will grow anywhere. In Baltimore, where I am from, you can find the Tree of Heaven growing out of many abandoned row houses. Some call it the ‘ghetto palm’.  It’s a non-native, fast growing, invasive species. It can get up to more than 80ft tall!

Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Common Ragweed

Ragweed is wind pollinated and is a major cause of common allergies (hay fever) when in bloom. Ragweed was once a cultivated grain crop.

Celastrus orbiculatus, Oriental Bittersweet

This vine is an aggressive growing weed that will take over any other nearby vegetation. When allowed to climb trees, the weight of the vine can cause the tree to become over burdened and unsafe in a storm. It is commonly found in the city on chain fences. The red berries are used in wreaths for decor.  

Commelina communis, Asiatic Dayflower

This cute little blue flower is a fast spreading, non native. It’s very easily removed from the garden, though it will usually come back because it’s seeds are smart and capable of lying dormant for a long time.  

Hedera helix, English Ivy

English Ivy strangling a tree

Dieee!!! Some people like to plant english ivy.. and sure if you have it properly contained and it can’t go anywhere, fine. But do not allow English Ivy to climb trees! Please! It strangles the trees and kills them, and adds a great amount of weight causing the trees to become a great threat to everything around them. If you have a tree with thick English Ivy on it, you can try cutting a section out of the vine low on the tree.

Lamium purpureum, Purple Dead Nettle

You usually see these guys in the grass popping up early in the spring. They are a quick spreading ground cover. It is a member of the mint family and it’s edible!

Oxalis stricta, Yellow Wood Sorrel

This is a very common weed which is often confused with or called clover. It is edible. It has a sour lemon flavor and is rich in vitamin C.

Phytolacca americana, Pokeweed

Everyone remembers smushing these purple berries as kids, right? Staining your hands or shoes? That was fun. But don’t eat them. They are poisonous to us, but the birds love them!

Plantago lanceolata, Narrowleaf Plantain

This weed can be a pain to pull out. It is used by herbalists for medicinal purposes.

As a kid… and sometimes now.. I would pull the stems of these and twist them in a certain way so you can shoot the blooms off at your friends.

Polygonum caespitosum, Smartweed

This is a pretty weed. It’s very invasive, though. I've used it as a pressed plant and framed it. The little flowering weeds make the best pressed plants.

How Does Your Coffee Grow?

We all love coffee, but do you ever stop to think about where it came from? Do you know how it’s made? Do you know what the coffee plant looks like? Most of us take this delicious treat for granted. There is a large disconnect in our culture between what we consume and where it comes from. I was lucky enough to visit a small coffee farm in Costa Rica in 2012 and learn about the entire process. Below are my photos from that experience.

First, lets start with a little history. It is said that the coffee plant was first discovered by a goat herdsman named Kaldi. He noticed that his goats became excited and full of energy after eating the red berries of the coffee bush. Kaldi tried the berries himself and had a similar reaction from the caffeine in the fruit. The discovery was passed on to monks who then used it to stay awake and alert at night.

Peoples of the Arabian peninsula were the first to cultivate and trade coffee in the fifteenth century. They even had coffee houses where people gathered for social activities. Coffee made its way to Europe by the seventeenth century and to New Amsterdam, now New York, by the mid 1600’s. Tea was still more widely consumed until taxes on it caused the revolt by the Boston Tea Party. Since then, coffee has been our drink of choice. Now, New York is said to consume three times the national average.

Europeans began growing coffee on whomever’s land they could. In some cases, whole industries were started from transporting just one plant. The Dutch began on the island of Java (now Indonesia), then the French in the Caribbean, the Spanish in Central America and the Portuguese in Brasil.  

Now, according to the National Coffee Association, 54% of Americans over 18 drink coffee daily. In 2013 in New York City alone, there were at least 1770 coffee shops. We love our coffee.

Coffee is a huge industry now and like with most mass produced crops, growers are overworked and underpaid. The course I took in Costa Rica was through Community Agroecology Network, which works with small scale farmers to teach them sustainable growing practices and in turn connects them with consumers in the States. They call it  the Alternative Trade Model, which guarantees farmers get higher prices than they would through “Fair Trade”.

Photo by Dana

The coffee plant is a shrub. The coffee bean is the seed of the coffee berry.

Photo by Dana

The coffee fields

Photo by Dana

This is farmer Don Roberto explaining the process of harvesting and processing the coffee. When the berries turn red they are ripe and ready to pick. Don Roberto and his crew wear these baskets attached around their wastes and go into the fields and fill them with the ripe berries. 

Photo by Dana

Found one!

Hand by Dana

The coffee berry is full of antioxidants and is said to have many health benefits. 

Photo by Dana

After the berries are harvested they are set out to dry in the sun. They have to be raked through and turned to prevent them from spoiling. 

Photo by Dana

Once dried, Don Roberto hulls the berries.  

Photo by Dana

This process removes the outer shell around the bean.

Photo by Dana

Roasting the shelled coffee beans!

Photo by Dana

And viola! Coffee. 

Now you know the labor intensive process of what makes your cup of coffee possible. Next time you indulge, consider where your coffee is coming from and how was grown. Try to support small-scale farmers, like Don Roberto, when you can! 

Sources:

The Caffeinated History of Coffee- http://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-coffee/

Coffee Consumption: London vs New York- https://www.finedininglovers.com/blog/food-drinks/coffee-consumption-london-new-york/
Coffee by The Numbers- http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/multimedia-article/facts/
The History of Coffee- http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=68

Top 5 Super Tough Perennials

Want to get into gardening but the few plants you've ever had have all died? 

We get it, you're busy or forgetful or you like to travel and you just aren't around. 

Whatever reason you have, you just can't manage to keep your plants from croaking. 

Well you are in luck! There are super tough plants out there that you could put in the ground and almost forget about completely.

Here is a list of our top five hardy perennials:

Baptisia, False Indigo

Baptisia is a beautiful, tall plant with lupine-like flowers. It's drought resistant and does well in the sun or part shade. It blooms in late spring and summer. In the fall the foliage turns silvery-gray. It's also loved by the birds and the bees.

Nepeta, Catmint

Nepeta is a very easy growing plant. It has a sprawling growth habit, so if all your other plants died, don't worry this guy will fill in. It has aromatic foliage and little lavender flowers. The bees love it.

Echinacea, Coneflower

Coneflowers are super easy and come in any color you could want. They do well in sun or some shade and can grow 2-5ft high. Bonus: they attract birds, bees and butterflies to your garden.

Rudbeckia, Black-eyed Susans

Black-eyed Susans bloom profusely even in the most challenging garden conditions. They prefer full sun and are drought resistant. There are many species of Rudbeckia native to North America. Some may act as annuals while others, perennials. Check the hardiness of each species for your zone. And like most native plants, they will attract birds and butterflies to your garden.

Amsonia, Blue Star

Amsonia is an easy growing, drought tolerant plant. It has beautiful clusters of blue flowers in late spring. It loves full sun and can tolerate a variety of garden soils. In the fall, the foliage turns brilliant shades of gold. Butterflies love it.