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Rooftop terrace climbers (N-NE, highrise, 6-8h of direct sun,In pots, lots of WIND!)
borismrdja
Posts: 35
Hi everybody
I'm trying to solve a difficult problem
I own a green rooftop terrace in Belgrade, Serbia
Location 20°E 44°N
Orientation N-NE,
About 20m above street level
Exposed to winds form 3 sides (including famous Belgrade's strong easterly wind Kosava)
Gets 6-8h of direct sun
Strong wooden pergola with chicken wire sides for climbing plants
Currently there is no drip irrigation system but its planed for this autumn
Flora is inherited mixture of weeds, food crops, and flowering plants
And while in the "green part" of the terrace with little TLC many plants flourish(Calystegia sepium was my mothers climber of choice) in the exposed sitting area there are no plants
My idea is to build deep pots (~100x30x30cm)in corners by the wooden posts(1,2,3) and to plant vigorous and sturdy perennial climbers in order to create "green roof"
And there we come to the main problem:
WIND RESISTANCE! (+drought +frost +availability)
Main idea is green roof (red) but also side cover would be nice (orange). Sent, flowers, fruits and all other beautiful stuff is a plus but not the key
My ideas include Kiwi, Jasmin, Hops, Grape vine, Rambling roses, Visteria , Clemantis...
Question No.1
What plants would you recommend?
I found this that fits the "resistance+cover" bill
Crimson glory vine
Crimson glory vine
for which I dont know the local name or if its available in my region
Question No.2
Does someone in my neighborhood has that one?
Question No.3
Should i train chosen perennial climber though the wire (its is slightly moving in the wind)or go strait up around the posts and then use new growth to "drop" it down the sides.
Question No.4
Should i try planting now or wait until spring?
I hope that you can answer some of my questions and help me to find the best plant or mixture of plants for my purpose.
And for sure, if you find this topic interesting, i'm more than willing to share more pictures of the "green roof project" as it goes along
And/or discuss growing different plants in these tough conditions.
Thanks in advance
Best regards
Boris
Best regards
Boris
0
Posts
Blue Onion said: I haven't put Indian summer trumpet vine on the list just because we have 2 plants in my cottage(similar climate but not so exposed, transplanted form cuttings of mature plant) and it is so slowly growing! We have them for over 10yrs put they reach barely 2m in height each year (woody stems are thick and tall but the new growth is "stunned"(small leaves, few flowers). They grow in extremely sandy garden soil with no irrigation and little pruning maybe that's the reason an they will love it in the fresh and healthy potting mix?
Unfortunately there are no active forums of this type in my country
Even in garden centers you will get little or no information
As for other green balconies around...there are none
I cant talk about the whole city but in the third that i can see no one is growing anything more than few potted flowers.
I remember few decades ago when it was unthinkable to have a balcony and not have it green
as for the climate we correspond to zones 6/7 and i was hoping that maybe someone from windy coastal region had encountered my problem
@Lizzie27
Thanks for he concern
but this is roof top terrace not an overhanging balcony so there are no concerns with building static. + all the pots,soil and plants weight is few hundred Kg comparable to the wight of people living here
fortunately i never built a terrace Jacuzzi pool i'm dreaming about
And beside all that just look at the original post to see where I live(or just look at the skyline on my pictures)...there are practicaly No building codes here
As for plants i found local grower that has 2yr plants of Lonicera and campsis and will keep them in smaller pots until fall to se how they respond
I got some cuttings from male and female kiwi plants that grow extremely well nearby (but in sheltered courtyard) and first see if i can get them to take root.
I was also promised local visteria cutting so will try to root that also.
From my research i found out that whatever perennial climber i choose i should wait until autumn to transplant it to the chosen spot
Any ideas on plant that i can transplant during summer and still have some growth before winter pruning?
Rambling Rose?
Just wanted to update u on what I have done (maybe someone will find it useful) since so far its working.
Im a proud owner of 2 young Campsis radicans wines
one semi mature Wisteria sinensis (wrapping clockwise)
3 small Parthenocissus quinquefolia
of 2 small Lonicera i bought one dropped it leaves day after bringing it from the nursery on inspection there where almost no roots in its pot (always check root system on site). I have cut it hard and left in in the soil, so we will see...other one is doing fine. There are even some buds so i might get a pair of flowers this year!
And i got the small Don Juan rose as a bargain
as for the pots...
For the corner between the benches (the most exposed spot) i custom built the pot from plywood scraps. Waterproofed it and lined it with PE and polystyrene boards. Filled the bottom with polystyrene fragments.
I've placed Parthenocissus quinquefolia there since (I hope) it will fill out the fence the fastest and both create sort of privacy screen and first wind barrier
for the bigger pots I was planning to use 180l steel drums. But couldn't find anybody who would deliver to the city center for just 3 peaces. At last I found some 200l+ plastic barrels from cosmetic industry and they are HUGE well over 200L
I ended up trimming the top 25cm off. Both for looks and frankly because i didn't have enough medium to fill them.
I filled the bottom with hollow building blocks, old upturned nursery pots and polystyrene fragments.
then lined the sides with bubble wrap
Drilled large drainage holes all around at some 15cm from the bottom
and filled them with every gram of medium i had.
I mixed the following:
200L of (Ukrainian) mix KTS4 with clay "for large pots"
100L of standard pot mix
100L garden compost
30L of perlte
some crushed stones
and all the leftover soil form dividing irises and day lilies
all in 5ft x 5ft space (it took some time and lot of gymnastic)
but so far i like the end result
I have planted Campsis in the corner pots (again for both fast growth and some wind break for Wisteria and Lonicera that I planted farther back
They will have at least 6h of morning sun (8h for corner pots) and plenty of water.
Now only time will tell...
P.S. for now they got a Yucca as companion and some straw mulch. But for the next season i will fill them with more soil and some trailing ground cover plants.
I found this beauty hiding among daylilies can some one tell me what it is?
it has beautiful white root (no bulb) and long tough leaves with "fullers" along its length.
i transplanted it but just didn't have hart to cut any of the leaves. So far it doesn't mind
...in pots, as you are in zone 6/7, your plants should be hardy to zone 5 for best results, so I understand from those who garden in cold zones..
..very best wishes... do keep updating as you go along..
do you think that some climber would be sturdy enough to thrive in windy spot?
I still have room for two more big pots by last two pergola posts
I got one Don Juan climber that i plan to use to climb up the gutter pipe on the wall side(where cherry tomatoes are now)
How big of a pot u think i should use?
To be precise. What is the smallest one that big rose wouldn't mind growing in.