ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

The National Trust contacted Penwith Housing Association because it had some funding. We were looking for ideas to tart up three blocks of our flats in Cornwall, so making better use of window boxes seemed ideal.

The blocks had got somewhat run-down, and the window boxes weren't being used by as many people as they had been. So we sent letters and questionnaires to the 57 tenants who had window boxes, explaining what the project would entail. We got 35 responses, of which more than half got involved, although some people were already using their window boxes and wanted to continue doing so in their own way.

A couple of tenants came with us to the National Trust's Trengwainton Garden and worked with the head gardener to plant seeds. They chose fuchsia, dwarf geraniums, lobelia, busy lizzies, alyssm and foliage plants.

We also replaced the soil in the window boxes – cats had been using it – before transferring the plants. Now they're growing nicely and tenants have been watering them.

Elderly residents were particularly keen to take part in the scheme. Some of the younger people hadn't been into gardening in any way before, but now they take a bit more interest in the area they are living in, because there's something nice outside their windows.

For the result we had, it cost very little. The National Trust provided the bulbs, seeds and soil which, altogether, probably cost £10-15.

The time given to sending out letters and leading residents through the process was the only other cost.