Why rooftop is the ideal space for gardening enthusiasts

KARACHI:

While owning one’s own house may be a prime middle class aspiration, for businessman Muhammad Naveed and his physician wife Fozia Naz, there was more to the decision of shifting their permanent residence from Karachi to Lahore. The couple had in mind a place, built brick by brick according to their own specifications, which they could rightfully call home. Pursuing their interest in gardening, they meticulously put together a rooftop garden where one could find all sorts of fruits and vegetables, swaying to the daytime breeze.

From plums to pomegranates, tomatoes to onions, this little green patch ensures their kitchen remains stocked, all days of the week. “When we started building this house, we had the idea of a garden in mind,” Fozia tells The Express Tribune. Given the design of the house and the covered area, the only space left for the garden was right on the roof. “We initially had a seating arrangement in mind for the roof,” she says. However, since the idea of a garden was given precedence, a proper drainage system with adequate insulation was in place right from the get-go.



According to Karachi-based horticulturalist Tofiq Pasha, this contingency plan, of Fozia and her husband, is one of the key reasons why rooftop gardens are all the rage these days. “When there is no space for a garden in the house, the only option left is to rooftop,” he says. While in the past roofs were considered ideal for accommodating useless household items and broken furniture, this is no more the case. Tofiq maintains the plan also works for those who go for compact house designs. “A rooftop garden helps lower the house’s temperature as well.” Tofiq feels if curated the right way, the garden can help grow anything and everything. “There is absolutely nothing you cannot grow. Large containers can be placed for the trees which might not grow to their full size but will give just the right garden atmosphere to the space,” he adds.



Lahore-based horticulturist Seema Khuled feels rooftop gardening has always been popular. “People have always maintained a flowerpot or two for decorative purposes. It’s just that huge gardens are now a thing of the past,” she says. She says current trends are more of a refined version of the traditional way of gardening. “As long as you invest in quality pots and soil, you can practically grow anything from decorative plants to herbs and fruits and vegetables.”





With hygiene being a perennial concern when it comes to buying these items of the market, growing them at home is both nutritionally fulfilling and ideal for those who are fond of gardening. “The upside is that you can grow all the edibles in a healthy, clean and controlled environment.” She says outside Pakistan, hotels and restaurants are working on maintaining their own rooftop gardens to both add to the aesthetic value of the places and cut costs by feeding their own kitchens. “The idea needs to pick up in Pakistan on a larger, commercial scale like it has in other parts of the world,” she maintains.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th,  2016.

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