Pothole Gardener Transforms Eyesores Into Works Of Art

By - 277 words

Language

Reading Level

Listen to Article

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

Cite Article
Geography
Learn Keywords in this Article
113 Comments
  • barbiegirl17
    barbiegirl17about 12 years
    awww cute:) but wouldnt people like drive over it when its in the middle of the road??
    • flexabout 12 years
      you are an awesome dude,i used you for my current event
      • ummm……about 12 years
        thats so cool! but isnt potholes better? i mean, how do you drive over that stuff? doesnt it just block the way? but if no one is driving there, that is so cute and creative! dont get me wrong, i love this stuff, but i think it might have a little problem…
        • po23
          po23about 12 years
          great idea!!! i like the little bicycle in the video
          • tjalienabout 12 years
            my sister thinks the flowers look fake
            • tjalienabout 12 years
              no, apparently according to my little sister
              • tjalienabout 12 years
                are the flowers in the park HIS?
                • klop1w3
                  klop1w3about 12 years
                  Neat!
                  • augusta
                    augustaabout 12 years
                    thats neat
                    • blackcatmiro
                      blackcatmiroabout 12 years
                      Wow! I wish that to be mine. The miniatures are so cute, and the flowwers are so beautiful!