Turning an 18 sq m rooftop into a terrace garden: Netizens say it's beautifully staggered, a perfect mix of the lively and the tranquil, just gorgeous

The terrace must be about 18 sq m. My home is a top-floor duplex, and there's a sunroom below. When winter comes, I move all the small potted flowers into the sunroom so they can overwinter safely.

The real owners of this terrace are two cats; I'm just the one who does the work

I'm from Tongxiang, Zhejiang. In winter, the large pots stay outside, and the small pots go down to the sunroom, and most of the plants overwinter safely.

In summer I put up a shade canopy; in winter the small pots are moved down to the sunroom, and most plants make it safely through the scorching summer and freezing winter.

As long as you keep a green garden in your heart, you will surely have the life you want

Before I had cats, I didn't like small animals either. Now the cats have become an indispensable part of my life.

The cats are very good and sensible. Apart from liking to go into the pots to nibble a bit of grass, they never break the flower pots at home

The biggest beneficiaries of the garden are the two cats, Chouchou and Mihao. Look: they chase butterflies on the terrace, gaze up at the little birds, and play to their hearts' content! Apart from the wind knocking down a few beloved flower pots, the cats have never caused any damage

Oh my, so cute!! You have two cats and can still put out so many flower pots without them falling down

The coin grass is planted in the terrace water trough; with sunshine and rain, it really grows much more lush and sturdy than when kept indoors

My terrace is full of blooming flowers. Such a tiny little patch of space, yet it's been made so beautiful

The cats don't dig in the soil; they've never destroyed my plants on the terrace. But I'll spill the beans: my little yellow cat, Mihao, loves to eat the indoor bamboo palm, nibbling it down to just stalks like a panda, and it breaks my heart.

When the cats are being naughty they occasionally step in the flower pots, but they don't do much damage; most of the time they jump clear of the pots when they play.

Some shade-loving plants are placed under the custom-made iron flower stand.

More photos coming

Boston ivy. Later I heard people say that over time it can damage the wall, though I don't know if that's really true

Netizen: Beautifully staggered, a perfect mix of the lively and the tranquil, just gorgeous!