FOREST ON A ROOF
Climbing to the top of an office block in the centre of Reading, Wendy Pillar walked out into an enchanted edible forest Mythical it is not, as she soon discovered
An aerial view of the RISC garden
A crop of mulberries which are traditionally harvested between August and September
Oca is a tuberous plant grown as ground cover in a forest garden situation. The tubers are eaten as an alternative to potatoes
If you didn’t know it was there, you’d never guess that a forest garden exists on a rooftop in Reading. About the size of an allotment or the garden of a race house, the Reading International Solidarity Centre (RISC) garden perches a couple of storeys up in the centre of this historic town.
Walking into the garden from the offices is like emerging into another world. Being a forest garden, it is full of trees, and you don’t get a view out across the rooftops or across the garden itself, so you can’t tell how large it is without exploring.The winding paths draw you in among the trees in a voyage of discovery. It is a world apart, yet connected as well, as you can hear traffic below and chatter in neighbouring offices. It is very much of the town, but a softer, friendlier, more sustainable side.