A Manchester man who transformed the balcony of his flat into a lush urban oasis during lockdown has been invited to exhibit at the Chelsea Flower Show this month. Despite living on the 18th floor of a high-rise building in the city centre, Jason Williams decided to take up gardening after being furloughed from his job as a bar manager in March 2020, as reported by the Manchester Evening News.
He returned to his apartment off Deansgate with a single marigold from a trip to the Cheetham Hill branch of B&Q and, finding that the new hobby provided a mental health boost, set about creating his "Cloud Garden". Jason's flat now boasts 150 house plants with the balcony home to 100 containers and a mini pond, complete with fish!
He also grows his own fruit and vegetables and makes compost out of household waste. Water from the pond, meanwhile, is used as fertiliser, meaning he avoids using chemicals on the plants.
Recalling the origins of his green-fingered passion, the 35-year-old said: "I had just moved into my apartment and realised how important outside space was. I ended up going to B&Q in Cheetham Hill and getting a marigold.
"The garden centre was the only place that was open so that became the day trip out when I was going for walks. It was a nice distraction during lockdown. It started off just to pass the time then grew into more than that.
"I realised how much it helped with my mental health and I got really into self-sufficiency to try and grow food for myself." Jason then started to showcase his gardening journey on YouTube.
Perhaps his biggest test has been ascertaining which plants are best suited to a position so high above the ground. "The front of my garden is glass railings so on a sunny day it can be anything up to 15 degrees warmer than on ground level," he explained.
"That affects some of my plants. Being so high up, it's extremely windy.
"Nine times out of ten, my plants end up getting wind burned and dying. It's about making the right choices and working out what is going to suit my space.
"My garden isn't picture perfect. Sometimes things don't go well and it's important to learn from your mistakes."
Jason now offers tips to fellow gardeners on his YouTube channel and he has quit his old job to pursue a full-time career in horticulture. He received the news that he had won a place at the world-famous flower show in January - less that two years after he bought that first marigold.
On getting the invite, Jason admitted: "There were a lot of tears. It's probably one of the most famous flower shows in the world so for someone like me with no gardening experience to get there is a real honour.
"It's amazing that they've given me the opportunity. Everyone is super supportive.
"It's been an incredible journey. One of the main things has been just having a bit of self-belief, believing I can do things and not giving up.
"I realised I was working 60 to 70 hours a week, constantly worn out and answering emails. Having time out in lockdown gave me time to reflect. There's nothing better than leaving a toxic work environment and doing something you love."
Jason will be exhibiting in the Small Balcony and Containers Garden category, which was only introduced in 2021 following the proliferation in lockdown gardeners. His self-funded entry consists of plants that have thrived on his balcony and been sourced from Chorlton Plant Nursery.
He is hoping that his participation will inspire other apartment dwellers to create their own balcony gardens and that the show will continue to become "more accessible" in future years. "When people think of a show garden they think of extravagant flowers," he declared.
"But I live in the city centre and don't drive, so they're all plants you can get at B&Q or your local plant nursery. More and more people are moving into urban apartments.
"If you rent, you have to be more creative in how you use space. There are more people doing what I'm doing in London than Manchester.
"The stuff I do is very time consuming but it would be amazing if everyone had just one container of wildflowers. It's a lot more simple than people think.
"I think the appetite is there but people don't know where to start. This time next year, we might have have a whole tonne of balcony gardeners in Manchester."
Find out more about Jason's work here.
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