Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Terrace gardens a boon to compact houses

— Photo: S. Thanthoni

cool top: A lily pond on the terrace of a building in Kilpauk Garden.

CHENNAI: A busy homemaker in Gopalapuram meticulously sprays water on her rose bush. She is careful to make sure that every leaf is well hydrated and protected from the heat of the mid-day sun. Despite her best efforts, the rose bush does not look in its prime.

She sighs, saying this is the best she can do given the limited space, the pollution and the heat of her garden’s surroundings. Multi-coloured and apparently less sensitive, crotons receive less of her attention, but appear to be healthy and add colour to the garden. On the wall of her compound, a bougainvillea plant has spread from its humble pot to envelope the wall. For plant lovers constrained by space, terrace gardens add to the aesthetic value and help bring down temperatures. S. Ananthan of Seco Controls, a company specialising in designing and landscaping terrace gardens, says: “First we create a smooth concrete surface. Then we carry out what is called fibre glass moulding over the entire surface. This prevents potential leakage into the building. Soil is added to the sealed and water-proof surface. Korean grass gives it the look of a grass meadow. Over this, anything from flowering plants, vegetables and creepers can be planted,” he says.

D. Narasimhan, Lecturer, Department of Botany, Madras Christian College, says the best that personal gardens can do for the city’s green cover is add some kind of greenscape. “Given the space constraints, potted and other smaller plants are best, as they do not require much space, water or time. Larger trees are the responsibility of the government. It would be best that the government insists on allocating space for greenery whenever an area is being developed for either residential or industrial purposes,” he said.

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