Somebody is gardening in Caldecott Square, and they are doing it in the dark.

The first planting appeared on the morning of 24 March: cornflowers, bright as a clear sky, growing from the cast-iron municipal planters that line the south side of the square. The planters — twelve in total, hexagonal, each weighing approximately 200 kilograms — have contained geraniums since 2019, replaced annually by the Parks Department in May.

They no longer contain geraniums.

On 1 April, the cornflowers were joined by wild violets. On 7 April — Monday morning, this week — the violets were supplemented by primroses and foxgloves.

All native species. All planted with care, in fresh compost, properly spaced and watered. The foxgloves, in particular, are striking: tall, bell-shaped, and quite clearly the work of someone who knows what they are doing.

Nora Quinlan, superintendent of the Bobington Parks Department, has been in municipal service for twenty-three years. She has overseen the planting schedules for every public space in the city. She did not authorise this.

“It is unauthorised horticultural activity,” she said, standing beside Planter Six on Wednesday afternoon and examining a foxglove with what appeared to be a mixture of professional disapproval and personal admiration. “The municipal planting programme follows a schedule approved by the Municipal Amenities Committee. This is not on the schedule.”

She was asked whether the flowers should be removed.

“They’re thriving,” she said, after a pause. “Whoever is doing this has better equipment than we do.”

The night watchman who patrols the Caldecott Square precinct, employed by the Municipal Custodian’s Office, reported seeing a figure with a wheelbarrow at approximately 2:15 AM on 7 April. The figure was moving between the planters on the south side. By the time the watchman reached the square, the figure had gone. The wheelbarrow had gone. The foxgloves remained.

No complaint has been filed. The Municipal Amenities Committee has not been consulted. The Parks Department has not issued a formal notice.

A note, handwritten on a small card, was found pinned to the railing of the Caldecott Square fountain on Wednesday morning. It read:

“More foxgloves please.”

It is unclear whether the note was left by the gardener or by an admirer.

The identity of the midnight gardener remains unknown. The flowers, in the meantime, are blooming.