Rooftop gardens add colour to London's Square Mile

The UK's financial services epicentre may seem an unlikely place to find customers of vegetable, flower and herb seeds, but Seeds By Post (http://www.seedsbypost.co.uk) is proud to report that even the Square Mile seems to have caught the gardening bug, with rooftop gardens adding some much-needed greenery to the most densely urban parts of the capital. These gardens have sprung up from parts of buildings that would have otherwise been ignored and unloved concrete spaces, so it's fantastic to see so many now blooming with the most beautiful fruits, vegetables and wild flowers.

One example of such a garden can be found at the Strand headquarters of the private bank and wealth management specialist Coutts, where busy kitchens are well catered-for with vegetables, fruit and herbs. On the roof of another building very close by is the edible garden tended to by employees of the international law firm Olswang, whenever they can grab a few moments in their lunch break. They also take unsurprisingly little time to eat the produce grown from their vegetable seeds.

But such a large number of rooftop gardens in this part of London haven't emerged by coincidence. The transformation of unused roof spaces into something decidedly greener was encouraged by inmidtown, the Business Improvement District for Bloomsbury, Holborn and St Giles. Mitch Steprans, business manager at inmidtown, has spoken of the "massive potential" of the capital's roof gardens, stating that "Of our 570 member businesses, probably half could be greened."

No doubt these newfound seeds customers are already seeing the many benefits of having a garden in such close proximity to their work, with the positive effects on the environment - including rainwater runoff and sound reduction, improved heat retention and biodiversity - not to be ignored. However, there's also the fact that a company's people, ranging from lawyers to other employees, just feel better thanks to its presence. Whenever they can spare a moment, it gives them the chance to take in a bit of fresh air and a change of scenery, not to mention meet people from other business departments.

Olswang's garden is also giving novice gardeners the opportunity to learn about growing food, while clients, potential clients and charity partners have also been impressed by the visual impact, practical expertise and inspiration that the garden has brought. Certainly, the garden's large potted trees, bee hives, peppers, herbs, strawberries and lavender all contribute to a gorgeous-looking space, but it is also very practical, now providing food to the firm's busy kitchen - from lovage and sorrel in summer drinks to lemon verbena in oily fish. Plates, meanwhile, are given a splash of red and green by the garden's finest tiny radishes and beetroot.

Clearly, introducing a bit of country to the city has had a very real positive effect on employee productivity and wellbeing in the very heart of London's financial quarter - and here at the leading veg seeds provider Seeds By Post (http://www.seedsbypost.co.uk), we can only hope that the trend continues.

Editor’s Note: Seeds By Post (http://www.seedsbypost.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.