So how much soil do you need to grow a garden? Years ago I admired a curiousity of a table in Nancy Davidson Short's garden, planted by George Schenk of "The Complete Shade Garden" renown. He used an old metal table, mounded soil up around some rocks, and planted it thickly with little ferns, mosses, a few perennials. As you can imagine, the planted table was quite a focal point.
Then Schenk came out with the fascinating book "Gardening on Pavement, Tables, and Hard Surfaces" (Timber Press) with examples of entire gardens planted in mere inches of soil. It defied reason, but can you think of a better way to green an old parking pad, asphalt drive or even an unused tennis court? Such gardens don't need engineering, or grid systems, like a green roof. Just lay down a little soil and plant.
Or how about topping a potting bench with plants? My metal bench is roofed with a shallow tray only about an inch deep. This tiny garden has now made it through two winters - as long as I don't water it too much, the sempervirens, tufty little Carex testacea, 'Angelina' and 'Ogon' sedums survive just fine in scant soil on top of metal, with no drainage. Only when I tried it out myself, could I really believe it. Take a look....
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