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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Helen Pidd North of England editor

From the 18th floor to cloud nine: high-rise gardener gets Chelsea flower show spot

Jason Williams Chelsea Richard Saker Manchester
Jason Williams in his 18th-floor, city-centre ‘cloud garden’.
Jason Williams in his 18th-floor, city-centre ‘cloud garden’. Photograph: Richard Saker/The Guardian

Furloughed and fed up during the first Covid lockdown, Jason Williams decided to have a go at gardening. His gateway plant was a French marigold, bought from B&Q, and he spent the following months making YouTube videos as he learned what thrives on an 18th floor balcony in central Manchester.

Unlike the rest of us who picked up a trowel for the first time during the pandemic, Williams’ lockdown “cloud garden” was such a success that he has been invited to recreate it for this year’s Chelsea flower show.

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