Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Roof garden roses


Getting up to the roof involves climbing up a metal ladder, popping a hatch, and hauling myself up out of it. I go barefoot as this leads me to believe that I'll be more sure footed. When I return I am black-footed, after walking on the neighbour's roof. More about that in another post. The Mystery of the House Next Door (it's where the raccoon lives. But people live there too. In the same house).

I wanted to see what the roses look like from the top. Also, I like rooves. Roofs. Whatever.

There is something very movie-like about New York rooves. Roofs. They are over-certified - see the Walker Percy quote in the side bar, scroll down...They are full of satellite dishes and chimneys, and from this roof you can see New York Harbour, and the orange ferries, the tugboats and their charges, Governor's Island and the big white building on it that sucks exhaust fumes from the tunnel beneath, which connects the southern tip of Manhattan to Red Hook, for cars. You can see the back gardens of the houses behind us, and the trash pile behind the Long Island College Hospital's dormitory for doctors. Far away, across the water, you can see New Jersey, and planes landing at Newark, in the west. To the east, there are church steeples, and tree tops.

And on this roof there are roses.

Iceberg, below.

And New Dawn.

10 comments:

  1. It's wonderful what you've achieved in such a small space! Very inspiring.

    My roses are only just in tight bud now; it's been such a cold Spring.

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  2. wow--and suddenly it's all in bloom. lovely from the roof. and i agree about rooves roofs wholeheartedly.

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  3. Lovely looking roses!

    And where is Estorbo's intruder cat coming from?

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  4. I am amazed - so gorgeous. My miserable New Dawn have never looked like that - and the icebergs!

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  5. Having a roof is a luxury in New York, right? I have been watching that show "Sell New York" with all high-end places and it seems that just having a outdoor deck or roof space adds greatly to the cost. I can only imagine what it would cost if it were complete with your beautiful roses!

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  6. you've created a slice of heaven on that terrace. wonderful.

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  7. The roses look incredible. Lovely photos! xx

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  8. Very curious about the raccoon house.

    I share your fascination with NYC rooftops and I access mine the same way you do yours (with shoes on though). Inspired by your blog and your pictures, I am starting a modest container garden on mine with (what you suggested) east coast natives.

    Your roses are breathtaking!

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  9. Donatella sin drogasMay 19, 2010 at 2:42 PM

    What beautiful roses! The plural of roof...is it roofies? No, that can't be right....

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  10. I fell in love with your terrace... It is absolutely breathtaking! You created a real paradise.
    I also have some roof space here in the city and this past spring I got a fig tree. I see you have one too. How do you overwinter it? Do you leave it out in the terrace?

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