Urban Jungle Bloggers – On the Roof Terrace

This is my second time joining the #urbanjunglebloggers adventure. See my first one here.

Urban Jungle Bloggers is a monthly series, devised by Igor and Judith. The idea is to get some green into our homes, especially for us urban folks! Every month they invite bloggers to share ideas for creating an urban jungle through styling challenges, DIYs, green tips and tricks. Every month there is a different theme on the topic. You can follow and get more urban jungle bloggers inspiration on Pinterest and on Facebook.

April’s theme is: “Show your green balcony or window sill” Err, I checked with the organisers, apparently having a roof terrace is allowed:-) Phew!

Disclaimer: Before I start, can I just confess that my roof terrace has not yet been jet cleaned or properly spruced up to welcome visitors, that would be all of you dear readers! So, some strategic and excluding photography has been necessary.

Apart from that, please join me on ‘la terrace’ and make yourself comfortable.

‘I don’t particularly have green fingers’. How many times have we heard this and how many times have I used this sentence myself. I can tell you now, it’s RUBBISH! Like most things in life it’s simply got to do with trial and error, failure and success, confidence and courage. So, a plant died, a flower wilted, the herbs didn’t make it….. try again. Well, at least that’s what I did!

I’m by no means an expert or brilliant at it but I’m learning, feeling more confident and starting to see results. That fear of ‘I better not touch anything green, well only in the kitchen’ has vanished!

I’m fussy about plant pots. Being on a terrace you’re also always aware of the weight and in general I like moving things around. One of my favourite containers are the brilliantly designed Bacsac. I came across them a few years ago and haven’t looked back. ‘It’s a weightless and portable bag that follows you everywhere, inside the house, outside on the terrace, the balcony or in the garden.’ Flexible, durable, it maintains the necessary balance between air, soil and water and is frost and sun resistant. It comes in many sizes and now it even comes in colours, yay!!!

Depending what I plant in them is how long they will last and whether they survive the winter. Last year I had a lot of mint and fennel in them which doesn’t make it through winter. Thinking about what to plant this year, I chose some spanish Marguerite and mixed it up with some lemon thyme. Because I cook so much and constantly use herbs, the second container here has Tarragon, Oregano and another variety of thyme. I can never get enough of fresh herbs, can you?

Last year I found this gorgeous tin oil drum which has become my main herb garden. I’m really proud that all the herbs came back this year. With the exception of chives, everything else survived well and as you can see is thriving. I’m hoping that the strawberry plant I have in there will also revive later on in the year.

Finally, in the spirit of creativity and re-purposing I love using containers like these sample dulux  paint pots here below. When empty, put a few holes in the bottom. I like to cover them with parchment paper or fabric and hold it all together with different ribbons. Then I plant them with some flowers like these straggling Discia plants. There is nothing nicer than placing one of these next to each place setting when serving guests lunch or dinner. Beats any center floral arrangement in my opinion!

Some have lasted, others haven’t but it’s a fun and inexpensive way to bring some blooms in or out and cheer up any abode.

Can anyone tell me the name of this plant below. It’s rather beautiful.

Once again I’ve loved participating in this great series. If you want to join, simply contact Igor or Judith and they’ll send you all necessary details. I suspect there’s quite a few people joining in April so why not hop over on Twitter or Instagram, look for #urbanjunglebloggers and show them some love!