Pothole Gardener Transforms Eyesores Into Works Of Art
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Potholes, those pesky unexpected dents on our roads are not only a nuisance and often destructive for cars but also, an eyesore - Now, an avid British gardener is transforming them into works of art by creating miniature flower beds!
34-year old Steven Wheen who began his unusual quest about three years ago, said he was inspired by a similar project undertaken by students at California's College of Arts, who did a similar thing for a San Francisco neighborhood.
Over the years, he has created 150 mini gardens covering up as many potholes as he can find around the city of London even those, as small as one square inch! The clever gardener begins by filling up the space with some soil and then planting in whatever flower or shrub he believes will fit the theme.
That's because unlike other pothole gardeners, Steven not only creates beautiful landscapes, but also, adds miniature props like a bicycle, an iconic British telephone box, a Mini Cooper or whatever suits his fancy. Of course, he only leaves the props at the scene long enough to take a photo and then removes them before they can cause damage to the cars driving over them.
Steven says that though people often think he is doing this to 'protest' the road conditions, that is not his purpose. He is simply doing it to provide some greenery to the concrete London landscape and to see the smile on the faces of the passersby fortunate enough to see his little works of art. For those of us not as lucky, he has published a book, appropriately titled the Little Book of Little Gardens!
dailymail.co.uk, inhabitat.com
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113 Comments
- Personabout 12 yearsi think he should leave them there.
absol123about 12 yearsso inspiring, i love it!!- thecurrenteventabout 12 yearsthis is really creative. i tried doing it last week but i kinda failed
- iluvthecurls1Dabout 12 yearsCreativity can bring so much to life and fill in for wrong. Can you say current event!
cubbies1about 12 yearsThis sure is a creative way to cover up potholes! I want to make one of these! I wonder where he got the mini piano? I wonder what happens when a car drives over one? I wonder if people write in or give locations of potholes to Steven?
j-rockabout 12 yearsThat is cool. I wonder how he makes it? So I can make one to.
stinkbrainabout 12 yearsThat is so cool. I love the idea of making little scenes but also gardening at the same time. My favorite scene is the one at the very top with the car and piano. I would make a little soccer field. I would make the goals out of grass and make the PK line, goalie and big goalie box and the center line all out of petunia petals. I would then add my little plastic soccer guys for the players and the little rubber soccer ball that comes with the guys.
sweatybird12about 12 yearscool
milo55about 12 yearsI loved this idea of making little gardens!!! My mom is aiso a gardener and I showed her this story.We think it would be so fun to come across one of these special gardens.What a nice surprise!
softballqueenabout 12 yearsThis guy is so cool he makes the little gardens and its like a work of art. Steven is a true artist to bad one of is gardens got destroyed a couple of seconds after he made it. I wonder what his next assignment will be? I hope it has something to do with burnt popcorn and a school with firetrucks. :)
