Created in 1937 by landscape gardener Ralph Hancock, the Kensington Roof Gardens are arguably the original rural escape in the city. In April 2009, head gardener David Lewis and his team finished restoring the gardens to their original golden era days. I met him at the Roof Gardens to talk flora, fauna and flamingos.
What’s so special about these rooftop gardens?
In the 1.5 acres of space we have up here there are three completely different gardens. We have the Spanish garden, which based on the Alhambra in Granada and has a distinctly Moorish feel. Then we have the black and white stylish Biba garden, that is covered, and the traditional English woodland, which has a stream running through it. During the restoration process we worked with historians and the council to take the gardens back to how they would have originally looked in the 30s.
Do the famous flamingos still live here?
They certainly do. The gardens have been home to Bill and Ben have for 33 years, and Splosh and Pecks came to us more recently. They are very tolerate of people, as they’re so used to being around them, but they do have their own houses for when they want some quite time of their own.
How many types of plants live up here?
When it was originally planted, the gardens had 500 varieties of plants and trees, and we’re probably not far off being back to that number today. I like to experiment with trees, to see how far you can take gardening on a roof. The soil is 46cm deep, but despite that we have fully grown oaks and fruit trees up here.
What’s your favourite plant?
I love my spring bulbs – my tulips, snowdrops, crocus and bluebells, and I also love dahlias. They aren’t everyone’s favourite, but I chose the ones here because they have such bright colours.
Is that how you tend to chose which flowers to plant?
I also pick the varieties that relate to the venue, so we have a type called Party Girl, a daffodil variety called Jeni, after a staff member, and a rose called Elina – the same name as our financial director. Considering I picked it for the name, it’s actually a fantastic rose!
Do you pass on your gardening knowledge to the wider community?
We run a gardening club up here on Sundays, where our members have a glass of champagne with breakfast and listen to talks on city gardening. During the Biba era, members of the club would come up here in platform shoes and drink gin whilst gardening. We try to keep it light and social today, in the essence of Biba.
Do you grow anything that is served in the restaurant?
Yes, all our herbs and vegetables are used in the restaurant. This year, we grew chillies, tomatoes, herbs and sweet peas from seed. The soil is warmer this high up, so we find that things grow very well.
What are the challenges you face with rooftop gardening?
Remembering that I’m on a roof! On a more serious note, I think it’s about keeping the sense of disbelief – there should always be something new even to visitors that have been before. The gardens are quite protected, so wind isn’t usually a problem unless there are strong gusts coming from the south-west. A garden is not a static thing – there is always a fourth dimension of time to consider. It is always evolving but I like the framework that the roof gardens provide.
What are you most proud of in the garden?
I’m proud that we’re not just an island in the city anymore; we support various community projects and schools. From a pure ego perspective, Ralph Hancock’s granddaughter was here last week, and she was delighted that we’d taken the garden back to what they were originally.
What are your plans for next year?
I’m planting lots of Olympic coloured flowers, which I’m very excited about. The restaurant balcony that overlooks the English woodland is going to become a wild meadow. The grass will grow nearly three feet, to the height of our pots, and will slow down the water run-off from the roof. Not to mention it’s much prettier than asphalt!
