Our first biodiverse roof garden way back in summer 2014 was driven by two major factors: the lack of greenery in the street beneath, and the clients’ adoration in their countryside garden.
Perched above the junction of Old Street & Goswell Road in trendy Clerkenwell EC1, the rooftop garden is oblong, spanning a 20-metre length x 3 metres. We created a sibling rooftop on the top level of this duplex penthouse to grow fruit & vegetables.
To alleviate this oblongness, we designed 3 zones defined by surface changes from decking to sandstone and grass. Each area features its own planting style: the deck has shrubs, the stone herbs and the grass native trees.
With 70 plant species, biodiversity is extensive in this city roof garden. The photos by Marianne Majerus were taken 3 months after planting, showing busy pollinators, with hundreds of honey and bumblebees frequenting the nectar-rich roof garden. The upper terrace features a viewing platform to take advantage of views of the Old Bailey, Barbican, Shard & St Paul’s. This rooftop is a fruit & veg garden, where Apples, a Grapevine, Rhubarb, Fig and Lemon are cultivated.
Viewed 24/7 via the floor-to-ceiling elevation of an open-plan layout, the roof garden forms an intact part of our clients’ lifestyle, producing boundless flowers in an extended bloom period. This indoor-outdoor colloquy benefits from the central herb garden with its cascades of Thyme, Oregano, Chamomile & Rosemary.
Selected species include: Achillea, Alcea, Angelica, Buddleja, Centranthus, Cotoneaster, Crataegus, Digitalis, Dipsacus, Echinacea, Erysmium, Euonymus, Frangula, Lavandula, Lavatera, Lonicera, Papaver, Perosvkia, Phillyrea, Phlomis, Pimpinella, Primula, Rhamnus, Slavia & Vitex.
The focal point of the roof garden is the native Euonymus europaeus ‘Red Cascade’ with its crimson autumn colour and red berries, benefiting wildlife, featured in a white circular planter. All the planters are bespoke, powder-coated in taupe tints, with roominess for plants to thrive for many years. The permanence of the planters, natural surfaces, peat-free compost, biodiverse planting and organic maintenance make this Clerkenwell roof garden design a truly sustainable eyrie for an equilibrium between nature & people.
