Pothole Gardening with Steve Wheen

Steve Wheen, better known as  The Pothole Gardener, has been creating little pop-up gardens all over London since last year. His blog chronicles his guerilla gardening adventures and gets hundreds of thousands of hits from all over the world.

You could say gardening’s in Steve’s blood – his granddad was the first to breed red trumpeted daffodils, all the way over in Australia! We caught up with Steve at Columbia Road Flower Market, where we helped Steve with a little garden (read his blogpost about it). Here are our pics from our little adventure, plus Steve’s top tips for wannabe pothole gardeners:

Firstly, have a clear vision of what you’re creating, and picture the little garden in your mind. Plan your garden out and choose the right plants accordingly. Are you going to feature one flower, like a daffodil or a Gerber?

Steve considering a potential pothole garden

Layer your little garden in levels. You want the smaller plants towards the front, and larger plants at the back. Perhaps you might choose some grass to cover the soil? Think about where you want to draw your audiences eye in the garden. Also, try to not plant things which are too tall, especially if you’re planting in a pothole!

Use a variety of plants with different colours for maximum impact!

Choose plants for the right time of year, think about what’s colourful and in season. My favourites are bulbs in little gardens, but there are so many options available, make sure you do your research.

Who doesn't love getting Christmas cards in the mail?

If you’re going to add some props, make sure you leave some room for them and try to ensure they’re to scale. There’s no point in having giant props and tiny plants- or the other way around.

Make sure you take your camera with your gardening, and of course, watch out for cars!

The final product, on an East London side street near you!

Thanks for a great Sunday afternoon, Steve!

By Zing Tsjeng

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