\u00a9 Toby Mitchell<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Before the pandemic, Jason worked in hospitality management. While lockdowns kept bars and restaurants closed for months on end, Jason turned to gardening, which has led him down a new and unexpected career path. \u201cIf you\u2019d told me two years ago that this would be my life, I would\u2019ve laughed,\u201d he tells me.<\/p>\n
I chatted to Jason shortly after he finished his latest project designing three balcony gardens in Croydon for Legal & General, and the day after he went to see the Sugababes live in concert. \u201cI\u2019m just living my millennial best life\u201d he said, laughing.<\/p>\n
When asked what attracted him to the project he told me \u201cI saw the word Croydon and as that\u2019s where I\u2019m from it just felt like a full-circle moment to come back home.\u201d The Fold, owned and managed by Legal & General, is part of a new housing development in south London which allows renters more autonomy over their space \u2013 from being pet-friendly to allowing tenants to paint the walls. Every flat also comes with a balcony, which is where Jason comes in, \u201cyou see a lot of unused space in apartment blocks like this and I wanted to show people how they could change that.\u201d<\/p>\n
$\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
\u00a9 Toby Mitchell<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\nWhen it came to designing the balconies, Jason wanted to use three distinct styles that would showcase to residents how diverse balcony gardens can be. In the Minimal Garden, low-maintenance plants and evergreens<\/a> have been used. From miscanthus<\/a> to cordylines and self-irrigating planters<\/a>, this balcony focuses on looking after itself. \u201cI wanted the planting to frame the city view\u201d he explains \u201cwithout too much effort from the owner.\u201d<\/p>\n
$\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
\u00a9 Toby Mitchell <\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\nHis second design, the Cosy Garden, has a potager feel to it \u2013 with fruit, veg and ornamentals all mixed in together. By using dwarf varieties, the Cosy Garden demonstrates that even with a small space you\u2019re capable of growing your own food \u2013 there are herbs, a grape vine and even an apple tree incorporated into the design. A cocoon chair and solar-powered lights<\/a> complete the space and make it an extra room for day and night-time use.<\/p>\n
$\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
\u00a9 Toby Mitchell<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\nFinally, the Urban Jungle garden takes inspiration from Jason\u2019s Cirrus Garden<\/a>, which won a Silver-Gilt medal at the Chelsea Flower Show<\/a> earlier this year. It is bright and colourful and uses tonnes of perennial plants, including coreopsis, rudbeckia and delphiniums.<\/p>\n
$\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
\u00a9 Toby Mitchell <\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n
When asked about whether he\u2019ll be returning to Chelsea next year, Jason wavers in his answer. \u201cI\u2019m in two minds,\u201d he says, \u201cit\u2019s very time consuming so I need to work out whether this story is best told through show gardens or through other avenues.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a challenge for Jason joining a new industry, but exciting too. \u201cThere was nothing out there for me when I started trying to learn about my space\u201d he says \u201cso for me this is about actually helping people and having the opportunity to show people what they can do with their own gardens.\u201d<\/p>\n
You can find Jason on Instagram @cloudgardeneruk<\/a> and Twitter @CloudGardenerUK<\/a>.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Molly Blair Published: Tuesday, 29 November 2022 at 12:00 am Having started gardening in lockdown, Jason Williams gained a large social media following for his Cloud Garden on his eighteenth-floor balcony in Manchester. He is known for gardening at dizzying heights and for being open and honest about his mental health struggles and how […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":17201,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/11\/cloud-gardener-jason-williams-if-youd-told-me-two-years-ago-that-this-would-be-my-life-i-wouldve-laughed.jpg",2048,1366,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/11\/cloud-gardener-jason-williams-if-youd-told-me-two-years-ago-that-this-would-be-my-life-i-wouldve-laughed-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/11\/cloud-gardener-jason-williams-if-youd-told-me-two-years-ago-that-this-would-be-my-life-i-wouldve-laughed-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/11\/cloud-gardener-jason-williams-if-youd-told-me-two-years-ago-that-this-would-be-my-life-i-wouldve-laughed-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/11\/cloud-gardener-jason-williams-if-youd-told-me-two-years-ago-that-this-would-be-my-life-i-wouldve-laughed-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/11\/cloud-gardener-jason-williams-if-youd-told-me-two-years-ago-that-this-would-be-my-life-i-wouldve-laughed-1536x1025.jpg",1536,1025,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/11\/cloud-gardener-jason-williams-if-youd-told-me-two-years-ago-that-this-would-be-my-life-i-wouldve-laughed.jpg",2048,1366,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Molly Blair Published: Tuesday, 29 November 2022 at 12:00 am Having started gardening in lockdown, Jason Williams gained a large social media following for his Cloud Garden on his eighteenth-floor balcony in Manchester. He is known for gardening at dizzying heights and for being open and honest about his mental health struggles and how…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/17200"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}