Finger on city pulse is green

Of course, when it comes to open public spaces, including parks, beaches and woodland, not to mention a canal and a striking river walkway, few cities can rival what Edinburgh has to offer.

However, with huge sections of the Capital's population living in tenement flats, aside from communal back greens, most of us do not have much outwith our properties for our green-fingered magic.

Perhaps we are missing a trick. Is there potential to be unlocked in a solitary front doorstep, for example? A window ledge? A basement entrance?

A group of flower-loving enthusiasts who this week launched a drive to turn our concrete jungle into a haven of floral tranquillity, certainly think so.

"I was living in a basement flat when we first had the idea to do this," explains Jenny Foulkes, one of the founders of Small Green Spaces. "The area outside was rather uninviting, so I decided to make it 'green'. Some basement flats are absolutely beautiful, so I thought, wouldn't it be nice if they were all like this?"

And so emerged Small Green Spaces, a social enterprise led by Jenny, a landscape gardener, and her two friends, keen community gardeners Jackie Macdonald and Helen Pank, all determined to turn "empty city spaces into small green spaces".

The "social" aspect to their business is their eagerness to use locally and ethically-sourced products to create long lasting "mini-gardens", including planters made by community projects. Among their suppliers are Gorgie City Farm, Redhall Walled Garden and the Columcille Centre. Such schemes work with people with mental health problems or learning difficulties.

"They make all these wonderful things, so we are trying to get them out to a wider audience," explains Jenny.

It is early days for the trio of gardeners, but they have had a positive response from householders, a number of whom have recruited them to transform dull, concrete areas outside their basement flats.

"I think a lot of people are quite intimidated by gardening, but even if you only have a step, or a window box, you may be surprised by what you can grow," says Jenny. "People are also put off because they have to source materials out of town and lots of people who live in a city do not own cars."

The enthusiasm to turn disused areas, however small, into something green and beautiful is an attitude other gardening enthusiasts in Edinburgh support, believing there is great potential to be unlocked, quite literally on our doorsteps.

"More could be made of our hard surfaces," explains Pete Brownless, nursery supervisor at the Royal Botanic Garden. "In themselves, they do nothing for the environment, but even just a small pot plant does.

"Plants on steps are a fantastic idea," says Pete. "As are window boxes - but only if they are properly secured. I have seen enough wheelie bins blown over in Edinburgh this week, I would hate for the same to happen to window boxes."