Pattern 172: Garden Growing Wild

• A garden which grows true to its own laws is not a wilderness, yet not entirely wild either

• Balance between wilderness and cultivation brings garden to life

• Plants and boundaries chosen so growing regulates itself and does not have to be controlled

• Garden will not ruin as quickly

• Grow plants, mosses, bushes, flowers and trees similar to how they grow in nature, intermingled without boundaries and bare earth and flower beds, boundaries and edges made of rough stone and wood to become part of natural growth

Finding that balance between wilderness and artificialness is difficult, especially in public places. I have always been a fan of wild gardens. Some of my early designs contained planters with wild plants.

The planters served a purpose of keeping the people from stepping on the plants. However, by keeping the people off the ground, I was able to create a true wilderness. This feature became a cornerstone of my design.

While I doubted how realistic a wild design like the one I designed could be on a rooftop, the visit to DakAkker showed me a system how growing plants on a rooftop could be possible. First on the left are Styrofoam planters, which did not look like they were made out of Styrofoam. These allowed plants to grow deeper roots and created a fence for the rooftop. On the right, is a system made out of ribbed plastic. Using this allows 5 5 centimeters of water to be stored under the plants. First a layer of vinyl covers the roof, sealing it from water. Thereafter, a layer of fabric stop plants roots from digging into the vinyl and causing tears. Under the plastic ribbing water is stored. And on top comes short rooted plants.