Garden Terrace Inspiration Needed

[Cocacolaaa]

I have a spacious, but shared roof terrace. The terrace is actually the roof of my house, and having lived in the house for 1 year now, and having only used the terrace a couple of times last summer, this summer I want to make it a more comfortable space for me to spend my time, reading, enjoying the summer and relaxing from City life.

Does anyone have any inspiration for me. Design ideas that are not expensive, I don't mind working to make it look good.

Another thing I am aware of, is that if I make it look nice, others will then want to start using it. My only issue here is that it is my roof, and I don't want any noise, or disruptions on my roof when I am settled in the house. I don't want people disrespecting my efforts and taking advantage. Advice on how to keep the terrace a nice relaxed space would be good. And also advice about how to create a nice space to relax in, on the cheap cheap cheap. Thank you in advance, I wish you all a beautiful summer with sunshine and laughter when it comes x

[hammerman]

My idea would be to get some large tubs and plant them up with hardy exotic plants. There are some absolutely stunning plants out there which will easily survive the British winter and will make you feel like you're sitting in Thailand or Brazil.

Unfortunately, nothing's cheap. You could always walk round markets, boot fairs and bric-a-brac shops and try to pick up some quirky planters....it's surprising how good a pair of wellies look when filled with compost and planted up with trailing begonias. Even a small group of baked bean tins can look good with a small plant in. Think outside the box a bit, if it holds soil, it can be planted up. Thant way you can have a seasonal colourful display of bedding plants mixed with exotic foliage of palms, hardy bananas and Phormiums.

Don't forget a small water feature too.....again if someting holds water, it can be used as a small water feature....it would be good if you can run an electric cable out to get a small pump in there for a fountain.

Hope this helps a bit.

[ummmm]

A willow tree. I bought a small willow from homebase for £15 and by the next summer it was huge, you can train them along a trellis and they are really easy to prune.

I got a grape vine from Morrisons for £10. They do shed the leaves in the winter but this year it's grown back and is almost at the ceiling. That's another plant that can be trained.