London Mews Gardening Column Advocates Hands-On Antidote to Digital Age

In a column for Monocle, Andrew Tuck reflects on the transformation of his central London mews into a communal garden, describing how residents have increasingly placed potted plants outside their homes, with some being stolen by tipsy youths. He notes the evolution from small pots to banana plants and silver birches, and his own involvement in helping neighbors with their front gardens, which he humorously describes as 'colonising' five properties. Amid a hosepipe ban in London, he waters plants with cans, finding social connection with neighbors and passersby. Tuck observes a broader trend of people seeking hands-on activities as an antidote to technology, citing a PR who completed a tailoring course, a banking friend who became a gardener, and another PR planning a landscaping course. He recommends adding plants to one's life as a way to reset and nurture. The column is part of his regular 'Weekend Opener' series for Monocle.