Roof terrace ideas
A roof terrace is an engineering problem before it is a design one: load, wind, drainage, and how anything gets up there in the first place.
AI-generated concept image
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Low
- Upkeep
- Medium
- Colour
- Neutral
- Planting survives
- −10 °C / 14 °F
Getting it right
Establish the load allowance before you draw anything, because wet soil weighs roughly 1,600 kg per cubic metre and that single number decides the whole scheme. Use lightweight substrate, choose deep narrow planters over shallow wide ones, and set them along structural edges where the slab is strongest. Assume constant wind: low, tough, small-leaved planting, everything anchored, nothing light enough to travel. Then check how a two-metre planter actually reaches the roof before ordering it.
Plants that work
| Plant | Type | Light | Water | Height | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White stonecropSedum album | Succulent · Evergreen | Full sun | Low | 5–15 cm | −30 °C / −22 °F |
| HouseleekSempervivum tectorum | Succulent · Evergreen | Full sun | Low | 8–15 cm | −30 °C / −22 °F |
| Sea thriftArmeria maritima | Perennial · Evergreen | Full sun | Low | 15–25 cm | −30 °C / −22 °F |
| Blue fescueFestuca glauca | Grass · Evergreen | Full sun | Low | 20–30 cm | −30 °C / −22 °F |
| Mexican feather grassNassella tenuissima | Grass · Semi-evergreen | Full sun | Low | 40–60 cm | −20 °C / −4 °F |
| English lavenderLavandula angustifolia | Shrub · Evergreen | Full sun | Low | 40–70 cm | −20 °C / −4 °F |
| Russian sageSalvia yangii | Shrub · Deciduous | Full sun | Low | 0.8–1.2 m | −25 °C / −13 °F |
| Mountain pinePinus mugo | Conifer · Evergreen | Full sun | Low | 1–3 m | −40 °C / −40 °F |
| New Zealand flaxPhormium tenax | Perennial · Evergreen | Full sun | Moderate | 1.5–2.5 m | −10 °C / 14 °F |
| Creeping thymeThymus serpyllum | Groundcover · Evergreen | Full sun | Low | 5–10 cm | −30 °C / −22 °F |
| Ornamental onionAllium hollandicum | Bulb · Deciduous | Full sun | Low | 0.8–1 m | −30 °C / −22 °F |
| Ice plantHylotelephium spectabile | Perennial · Deciduous | Full sun | Low | 40–60 cm | −30 °C / −22 °F |
Surfaces and materials
- Composite decking
- Green roof trays
- Zinc planters
- Slatted timber screen
- Shade sail
- Festoon lighting
- Gravel mulch
Works well when
- There is a structural weight limit
- The site is open and windy
- It gets sun for most of the day
- You eat outside in the evening
- Water is restricted in summer
Think twice when
- There is no vehicle access
- There is no outdoor tap
- The budget is tight
See it as a roof terrace
Photograph the space as it is today and compare a roof terrace against what you already have.
Scan to install
