How a Landscape Designer Reached for the Sky

By the Editorial Team · Sunday, September 13, 2026

Landscape designer Julie Farris transformed a vacant rooftop above her Brooklyn garage into a flourishing wildflower garden that supports local pollinators and beautifies the neighborhood. This small-scale green roof not only improves urban ecology by managing stormwater and air quality but also fosters community connection in an area where such spaces are rare.

In Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill neighborhood, a formerly barren rooftop above a two-car garage has been transformed into a vibrant wildflower garden that is attracting both neighbors’ attention and local pollinators. The garden, created by landscape designer Julie Farris, founder of Brooklyn-based XS Space, features a mix of flowering perennials and grasses that have flourished since installation last fall.

Farris and her husband, Joe, acquired the garage alongside the top floors of a 1918 brownstone they purchased in 2010. The garage’s flat roof had remained empty until it began leaking in 2020, prompting the couple to undertake repairs and consider a garden installation. They hired contractors to fix the roof membrane and reinforce the structure to support the added weight of soil and plants.

Working with landscape designer Angeles Mojica of Dig It, a firm specializing in sustainable gardens, the couple oversaw the transformation of the 16-by-20-foot rooftop. The process involved installing a waterproof membrane, irrigation pipes, and metal edging before layering about four inches of lightweight organic soil. Unlike many green roofs in the city, which often use sedum for its hardiness, Farris opted for a diverse planting scheme aimed at providing visual movement and supporting pollinator habitats. The selected plants include yellow yarrow, lavender catmint, purple salvia, and little bluestem grass.

Originally considering inexpensive seedling trays, Farris and Mojica ultimately selected larger quart- and gallon-sized plants due to availability issues. The installation involved creative methods such as an improvised pulley system to move the plants onto the roof. The total cost, including materials and labor, was approximately $19,500 after discounts from contractors familiar to Farris. This compares to an estimated market price between $25,000 and $30,000.

The garden quickly began to bloom, with the yarrow visibly flowering by May. The plants established rapidly, reducing the need for frequent maintenance to date. The small rooftop garden is part of a broader trend in New York City, where green roofs collectively cover as much as 120 acres, according to Mike Treglia, the Nature Conservancy’s lead scientist for the New York Cities program. Although green roofs account for less than half of 1 percent of the city’s rooftop area, their extent has doubled over the last decade.

Environmental benefits of green roofs include filtering air pollutants, mitigating urban heat effects, and absorbing stormwater runoff—especially critical in a city prone to sudden, intense rainstorms that can overwhelm the combined sewer-stormwater system. Hydrologist Eric Rothstein of eDesign Dynamics estimates that a rooftop garden the size of Farris’s can retain roughly 8,000 gallons of rainwater annually, easing pressure on stormwater infrastructure.

Beyond environmental advantages, Farris said the garden has enhanced the quality of life in the neighborhood. She noted that neighbors who rarely interacted have expressed appreciation for the view, with one previously disagreeable resident reportedly becoming more congenial. The project exemplifies how small urban green spaces can contribute to both ecological resilience and community well-being.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.