Regular readers of this blog know that I garden on the rooftop for my condo building in Manhattan. Last summer this roof was totally resurfaced: all vines and climbers cut down from fences, all containers moved to one end, all pavers stacked up, then everything moved to the other end of the space. There was no garden.
In January with the re-roofing accomplished, I ordered all new fiberglass containers. By early April, with three men from the building, I had transplanted every plant into the new containers. (The bachelor buttons in the foreground volunteered for the new garden, coming in with some old soil).
I'm not a big fan of ever-

greens for this garden,
because almost no one
uses the space from
December to March,
and no one views the
garden up close from
behind a window.
I want plants shouting
COLOR with flower or
foliage. Here, an Encore
azalea though I'm not
sure it will repeat bloom
in NYC.
The second rose to
bloom was the David
Austin English rose
'Graham Thomas', a
delightful choice with
absolutely no black
spot or mildew in this
site. Note in front of the roses the fern-like foliage of California poppies. I sprinkled the seeds in situ in mid-March, just the way they like. My first poppy blooms were last week. The roses were all early, responding to April heat. As the first flush of blooms departed the poppies popped out.
As you can see, I favor floriferous plants.
Below, the foliage of sumac 'Tiger Eyes' is enhanced by the color of the Calibrachoa.
Let those in the building who complained in March that the lead gray color of the containers was too dull, eat their words. It's the perfect foil for the plants.

3 comments:
Dear Ellen,
So strange to think that residents in your building "complained in March that the lead gray color of the containers was too dull...." Obviously, they do not realize how lucky they are to have you among their midst!
Warm regards, Hilda
Thanks Hilda. With 100 apartment owners, there are all kinds of opinions. One of my favorites: No roses because a child might get pricked by a thorn!
The key is that the dark gray is the "perfect foil." You had the experience to envision that and it couldn't be better.
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