Martyn Cox sees salvation in the City of London

One thing I love about the new emphasis on horticulture, is the ambition by many people to change into something positive, what might have been for a long time a focus of negativity.

Martyn Cox has been to visit a site in the middle of London, that was once a tip and a den of drug addicts, and witnessed a massive transformation led by one man's determination and patience.

Weeds don’t really bother me and they don’t really seem to affect the plants,” he says, telling me about his novel use for the tips of Japanese knotweed that sometimes pop their heads above the soil. I cut them off and stir fry them. They’re a very nourishing little shoot.

In an article for Amateur Gardening, Martyn tells of Alex Smith's grapple with the wilderness on a 500 square metre plot near Kings Cross station.

Comments

[Eva Curt-Williamson]

Just a shame the accompanying photographs don't make it look very appetizing.

[Martyn Cox]

Hi Eva,the photographs show the garden exactly as it is. Although a much better photographer than myself could have made it look more attractive, that would be giving a false impression. As I say in the piece, it's not pretty, but a good use of a scrap of wasteland.