“Don’t worry about bright summer colors,” my sister advised. “Your plants will carry the colors, and you can change them at will. “
She was right. We picked patio furniture color from a basic palette of gray and black, delivered last season to our roof
top nest on top of our building.
It took a year of disasters to figure it out, but we finally settled on the sturdy moss rose, also known as Portulaca. Our rooftop deck is a bit like a desert, bright sunshine, no shade, windy and forbidding at times, calm and still at others. The only consistent fact is that mosquitoes have yet to find this 7th floor haven.
We tried petunias, vines, and all sorts of posies to no avail. But our moss rose, with its short stems and thin succulent leaves, complements the gaily colored bloom, and is perfectly adapted to this odd environment.
Thanks, Becky, we might have purchased a neon purple patio set, you were right, we’re now looking at the colorful flowers, not furniture.
