ᐅ Hedge or similar for surrounding roof terrace?

Hello everyone,

I want to create a privacy screen around a rooftop terrace (unfortunately with an unattractive view and also exposed to curious neighbors). The homeowners’ association only allows an even “living” privacy screen, not wooden panels or similar.

The terrace is bordered by a wall on two sides, with a wall cap about 40 cm (16 inches) deep. The other sides only have a railing.

I’ve been trying to figure this out, but it’s not that easy. The idea: On the wall, one could place a pre-grown hedge in a planter box. For example, a garden center sells "hedge by the meter" ivy. The price per meter is about 160 € (plus planter and soil easily bringing it up to 230 €) per meter. At 20 meters of wall length, that’s quite expensive.

The part with just the railing is even trickier. Its load capacity probably isn’t sufficient to support a hedge on top. Placing planters or raised beds on the floor next to the railing is difficult because the terrace is only about 80 cm (31 inches) wide there.

Do you have any ideas on how to solve this? I’d appreciate separate suggestions for the wall and railing sides.

Thank you
Pröter

How high do you want to go? Is it possible to extend the railing and the wall with climbing trellises?
And specifically for roof terraces... how much additional load capacity does your structural calculation allow for?

Thank you for the quick response and your valid questions!

WilderSueden schrieb:

How high do you want to go?

From the top of the wall upwards, 1 meter (3 feet 3 inches). The plant itself only needs to be slightly shorter since the planter already adds some height.

WilderSueden schrieb:

Is there a possibility to extend the railing and the wall with trellis panels?

In the case of the wall, I have so far considered placing the planter on top of it, because then you can just buy a finished product. Otherwise, the plant would first have to climb the wall and then the trellis, which would probably take two to three years.
That said, I find €220 per meter expensive. Is that just the price for a finished hedge 1 meter (3 feet 3 inches) high? Or can you get it cheaper if you know where and how to buy it?

And in places where there is only a railing: I would have to put planters in front of it, which would reduce the terrace width by half. Anyway, the lady at the home improvement store told me that ivy requires a planter at least 40 cm (16 inches) deep; otherwise, it will die within two years. Is that true?
Obviously, but just to be sure: By "depth," I don’t mean the height of the planter, but its horizontal measurement perpendicular to the railing.

If so: Are there other "hedge-forming" plants that do well with shallower planters?
In general, I unfortunately find very little information about hedges in flowerpots online.

WilderSueden schrieb:

And specifically for roof terraces... how much load capacity do you have according to the structural calculations for additional weight?

Well, I would place the planters on the top of a load-bearing exterior wall of the building. I hadn’t really considered the structural engineering aspects. Does your experience suggest otherwise? Of course, I don’t have any calculations on this topic.

There are also very fast-growing plants like hops (and with the right variety, you can even brew your own beer 😉 ). That’s what I had in mind when thinking about trellis structures. Otherwise, I would definitely recommend playing the long game and waiting 2–3 years for a good solution instead of putting together something now that might die by your next summer holiday.

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you which plants do well in pots either.

Regarding the structural question, it was also about whether you could build up some soil at the ground level, possibly with a low wall. But since your balcony seems very narrow, that probably isn’t a viable solution.

Proeter schrieb:

Anyway, the lady at the home improvement store told me that ivy needs a container at least 40 cm (16 inches) deep, otherwise it will die within two years. Is that true?

Whether deep or shallow: There are deep-rooted and shallow-rooted plants.
Since you are more interested in climbing plants now, look for "container plants" rather than hedges (which are usually for heights over 2 meters (6.5 feet)).
Potential issues for you could be wind, poorly installed trellises (which can get crooked when a gust hits), and watering.
I would probably recommend grasses instead, as they move with the wind.

Who designed this? The roof terrace didn’t just appear out of nowhere. There must be clear specifications or requirements. And why do you have to take care of this? Please show some pictures.