A terrace generally has rather large dimensions, such as to represent a valid alternative to a garden, if one wishes to equip a green or flowered area. It is evident that the plants are housed in pots or containers of various types and sizes. It is therefore necessary that the choice is directed towards plants that live well packed. Before setting it up, it is always advisable to analyze some preliminary aspects, namely:
- - size of available space
- - exposure
- - type of sunshine
- - weather conditions
- - types of land
- - type of irrigation
- - coexistence between plants
- - types and materials of containers
- - any limiting factors, such as pollution
The plants that are able to live on a terrace can be:
- - arboreal plants (only if the size of the available area is very large)
- - shrub species
- - bushy species
- - climbing species
- - herbaceous species
- - evergreen species
- - flowering species
- - rustic species
- - fat species
- - aromatic and medicinal species
- - Mediterranean species (if the weather conditions are favorable)
ARBUSTIVE PLANTS
JUNIPER
It is an evergreen shrub, up to 5 meters high, with semi-woody stems that support linear needle-like leaves of an intense green color. The flowers are gathered in inflorescences with small male elements of yellow color and greenish female elements. The fruit, called galbulo, is a brownish-colored berry, rich in seeds, edible for humans and endowed with medicinal properties. It lives well packed and on all types of soil, as it is a rustic and very resistant variety. It requires well-drained soils and fertilized with organic substance.
MIMOSA
It is a shrubby plant, evergreen and flowery, very decorative. It has a semi-woody stem, up to 10 15 meters high, which supports dark green and very delicate bipinnate leaves. The flowers are gathered in flower head inflorescences, with a soft and feathery appearance, very fragrant, of an intense yellow and golden color. Flowering is precocious, but does not last long: from January to March. The fruits are dark legumes, containing a large quantity of seeds. It requires a deep, well-drained soil with an acid component and enriched with peat, humus and river sand. It must be placed in sunny areas of the terrace and at mild temperatures (never below 15 degrees). 2 fertilization cycles must be carried out: in spring and in autumn
CLIMBING PLANTS
CANADIAN VINE
It is a climbing shrubby plant, with woody-looking, thin, very branched stems. The leaves are large, have an intense green color and have a lobed shape with serrated edges. The flowers are small, almost insignificant, and present a short flowering period. The fruits are very decorative pink, purple or blue berries. It is a fast-growing plant, very suitable for covering walls or espaliers on the terrace, also because it is very resistant to climatic variations.
CLEMATIS
It is a climbing plant, evergreen, with very thin and semi-woody stems, suitable for covering walls. The leaves, petiolate or sessile, have an intense green color and are covered by a thick whitish hair. The flowers, very showy and decorative, have a corolla with 7 long petals well separated from each other, pink, purple or lilac. It requires a soft, fresh and well-drained soil. It must be exposed in very sunny areas of the terrace, even under direct sunlight, as flowering does not occur if the light is not sufficient. It prefers mild temperatures and fears the cold
PLANTS ALWAYS
FERN
It is an evergreen or evergreen herbaceous plant depending on the variety. It presents an underground rhizome from which a herbaceous stem starts, up to a meter high, with leaves with full pennate or bipinnate lamina, slender, arched or hanging, of a bright green color. It lives well even possessed, but reaching smaller dimensions compared to the underground varieties. The plant forms thick tufts that prefer the shady and damp areas of the terrace, with a mild climate (minimum temperature of ten degrees). It requires frequent spraying and fertilization to be carried out at least once a month.
AROMATIC PLANTS
ROSEMARY
It is a shrubby, bushy, aromatic plant, belonging to the Mediterranean scrub, with medium height stems (up to 3 meters), of woody consistency and very branched, light brown in color. The leaves have a coriaceous appearance, are elongated, lanceolate, needle-like, with continuous edges, covered with a thin layer of white hair, dark green, sessile and inserted in an opposite manner. They emit a very intense aroma, caused by the presence of numerous oil glands. The flowers, of small dimensions, have a campanulate calyx and a bilabiata corolla, with 2 stamens fitted with a small apical tooth. Flowering lasts from May to October. The fruits are long and smooth achenes, brownish in color It requires a well-drained soil enriched with sand and peat. It must be planted in sunny areas and exposed to temperate and warm climates.
Furnish terrace: FLOWERED PLANTS
FUCHSIA
It is an evergreen flowering, ornamental plant, with branched stems and small-sized woody seeds, which support oval or lanceolate leaves, with entire or serrated edges, of bright green color. The flowers have a tubular shape with 4 apical petals, pink, red, orange, lilac and with a hanging habit. They have an exotic appearance and are used in terraces to set up decorative vases, including hanging ones. The fruits are small, fleshy berries. It must be exposed in very bright environments, but not under direct sunlight. It requires a soft, well-drained soil rich in peat and humus.