A dwarf daff is not a mighty oak.
The one I'm talking about has bright yellow petals, which stand out proudly against the hard grey landscaping of our street. Best of all, the sight of some of these tiny flowers makes me smile. I helped do that.
Some of my neighbours organised the planting last year and provided the bulbs. Together we planted them in the tree pits lining our street and this little bit of effort has been rewarded this month as the flowers burst through the compacted soil, exploded into colour and helped shine some light through the gloom and darkness of the extended winter. It was a job of minutes to push the bulbs into the ground. It required one devoted person to organise it, but it's made a tremendous difference. I guess our next step ought to be some summer flowers to keep the colour coming.
The idea is simple and has been adopted by many other people, but here's a great organised approach, turning spare pavement spaces into mini-food growing areas along a London bus route. The Capital is crammed with small spaces that could be turned into spectacular mini-gardens its communities would be proud of. If you can't picture it in your mind, the good folks at the green inbetween have some photos to help.
Basically, the message is, be positive, have a go and sow some seeds to make life more interesting. Just digging over some compacted soil will help improve London's environment. Nature always helps, with seeds dropped by birds or carried by dogs often succeeding to germinate in the most inhospitable of places. I'm not suggesting a take-over of every pavement, roundabout or tree-pit. There are some practicalities to consider and always ensure what you plant is suitable for the space you're eyeing up. No one wants harmful or destructive plants.
Get outdoors and be creative around the place where you live. Have fun, but as with all things, be sensible.