The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-05-11
How the Housetop
Can Be Beautified
And Also Utilized-Modi.
fcations of This Plan
Could Be Carried Out
To Make Playground
For Young and Old

THOSE who expect to see the first
blooms in their garden when May
comes In should have their plans
well under way by March. The
following article Is an account OF an
actual experience In building a roof
garden which should be of real serv-
ice to those whose yard space Is lin
ited-
Imagine q garden on the roof, where
there Is q lawn soft and velvety: where
flowers grow and blossom tumultuoasly;
where the sundial stands and tells on
the sunny hours; where. in fact, one
Is out-of-doors with the wide sky
above and grass beneath ones feet.
This garden is not Of the stuff that
dreams are made of, but is most de-
Hghtful reality. as the photographs
given here bear witness. Individual
beauty spots alone are shown, for only
from an airship could the whole garden
be seen ct one time. since 1t ia on top
of the highest building in the neighbor-
hood. One cannot always spread wings
and foat in the air even to snapshot q
sky garden, though, indeed, 1t would
In this case. be well worth while. for by
50 doing could be shown what has been
and can be done toward utilizing and
beautifying the housetop for family
pleasure ground and breathing place.
Tho making of a roof garden is not a
really difficult thing. There must, OF
course, be soil for the plants to grow In.
and II that can be carried to the rooI
the rest 10 comparatively easy. Any
kind Of plants, shrubs and small trees
f. that win grow on the ground viii grow
climate, and the garden can be planned
to accord with the size and strength
OF the roof. If large garden is feas-
fble, SO much the better. If it must be
small, why even a small garden may be
. very lovely one and, lifted high above
orr uri1 havn tho NJ a rrr1 lnS
the unusual and the unexpected
We will take it for granted that your
loof L. fat or nearly SO, and that the
sun shines on it at least part Of the
day; then the first thing to do is to
have the roof examined by a competent
person to ascertain how much weight
It can bear, also to see that there are
no leaks. through which the water
drained from the garden may flow.
When these points are settled. plan
your garden so that the greatest weight
viii be over the strongest part. This
win probably be near the outer walls
unless there is an inside wall that helps
support the roof. With a cement roof
both labor and expense win be less
ened. for the soil may then be dumped
directly on the roof; otherwise you
must lay boarding wherever you are to
have hower beds or lawn. -.--
Use cedar boards for the flooring;
they withstand the dampness Of wet
e0ii NdfI the DOaruS on narrow WOOD
en- cleats that win lift them two inches
above the roof, allowing narrow spaces
between, and let the cleats be not more
than three feet apart. This makes ex-
cellent drainage.
Measure the space set aside for the
flower beds and make flooring to fit,
then box in the flooring on the edges
with boards to hold the soil in place..
The same method Of keeping flower
beds trim is often seen even in gardens
on the ground and 1t is quite essential
on the roof, where the soil is naturally
lighter and therefore more liable to be
washed away with heavy rains.