Special award for the Union Street Urban Orchard!

The Union Street Urban Orchard was awarded a special commendation by the Conservation Foundation in their Green Corners Awards. Continue reading

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The revolution will be composted: adventures in radical gardening [Guardian Gardening Blog]

“Wayward Plants, masters of temporary conceptual gardens …”, by Jane Perrone.

Category Press

Forgotten Spaces [We Make Money Not Art]

Documenting the Forgotten Spaces exhibition at Somerset House. “Urban Physic Garden by Wayward Plants transforms a forgotten yard on the King’s College and Guy’s Hospital Campus into public garden where medicinal plants and healing herbs are grown for the public. During the Summer, Wayward Plants put the Urban Physic Garden into practice, transforming a derelict site on Union Street SE1.” – We Make Money Not Art

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Urban Physic Garden included in Cultural Highlights of 2011 [Icon Magazine]

Icon Magazine asked leading international critics, curators and design experts to choose their cultural highlights of the past 12 months and choose their “Six of the Best.” The Urban Physic Garden was selected by Vicky Richardson, Director of Architecture, Design, Fashion at the British Council.

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Urban Physic Garden Pops Up on London’s Southbank [Landscape Middle East Magazine]

Landscape Middle East Magazine features the UPG in their November issue – article and photographs by Fiona Law. You can read it here!

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Urban Physic Garden [The British Council's ADF Papers]

The Urban Physic Garden has been included in series 2 of the ADF Papers, a series of essays that explore new directions in British architecture, design and fashion. The ADF Papers are an ongoing series that sees the Architecture, Design and Fashion department enagage with experts in the sector to consider key issues relevant to contemporary practice in the UK. In doing so we hope to share our understanding of our sectors with British Council Arts Managers overseas, as well as design professionals abroad and in the UK.

The second series of papers feature writing from Alison Moloney, Henrietta Thompson and Penny Lewis. Case studies featured include Markus Kayser, Priestman Goode, Wayward Plants, Bloomberg and Arts Co, Reaich and Hall, Studio Kap, Sutherland Hussey Architects, Alan Dunlop, Eightyseven Architecture, Fergus Purdie alongside an exploration of contemporary themes surrounding the display and presentation of fashion. The papers are available in print from the team or as print on demand – you can download it here.

Category Press

The Weather Millers, Three Mills Playspace

The collaborative team of Studio Weave and Wayward Plants were one of four shortlisted practices to design a new play-space for Three Mills Green in east London. The competition was organised by Architecture Foundation on behalf of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, The Legacy List charity and landowners, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.

Our proposal envisages the landscape as a country of millers, a little known place where all aspects of weather are made and measured. Within the imagined nation, humps are island countries, home to different types of weather miller, the ridge is a mountain range and the towpath is a wild coastline. Inspired by early mills in the area, the country is populated by machine-like play structures that make a range of weather. Each has its own story – from the tiny rainbow palace to the fortress of thunder – but they all fit together to complete the landscape. The Weather Millers’ Country functions as a place to come and play with familiar interfaces such as swings and roundabouts, but it is also an educational resource. Each weather mill strikes a balance between play and effect: joy in the act of doing something rewarded with a magical experience. The simple mechanics that create the weather are powered by energy harnessed simply from play. Wayward Plants worked with Studio Weave to bring to life the stories of the Weather Millers through plants in the landscape, translating the fantasy map of this curious parallel world into a physical terrain.

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The Union Street Urban Orchard Book

This book is seen as a legacy of the Urban Orchard offering insight into how this community garden was created. There are essays from those who made it happen; DIY tips; recipes using the fruits of the Orchard and a foreword by journalist and presenter, Jon Snow. It is hoped that this publication will inspire others to try and grow their own and think creatively about disused spaces within the city. The book was edited by Moira Lascelles and published by the Architecture Foundation. Buy yours here!

Category Publications

Herbarium Anthology

Herbarium is an anthology of poems and songs written by over 50 poets celebrating and exploring the contemporary resonances of medicinal plants and herbs for the Urban Physic Garden. Edited by James Wilkes and published with Wayward Plants by Capsule Press.

Category Publications

On Farming [Bracket]

BRACKET [on farming]

The first issue of [bracket], designed by Thumb and published by Actar, is now available on Amazon. [bracket] is a collaboration of Archinect and InfraNet Lab, and is composed of a collection of diverse editors and an open-source contributing membership. Heather was on the editorial board of the first edition [on Farming], and published an essay on Nomadic Allotments: London’s Farming Future, which discusses the Wayward Plant exchanges.

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Category Publications

The Wayward Plant Theme Song

Sing along to the Wayward Plant theme song! With music by Mr. Solo, lyrics by Heather Ring, and the video directed by Nicole Paglia.

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Category Blog

The Dignity of Plants

“If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.” — Jack Handey

They’re age-old questions: Who will speak for the trees? Can plants feel pain? And what do weeds really want? We can imagine that casting gusts of wind at dandelions might be your wish, but it’s probably not theirs. And while you might feel charmed, that four-leaf clover you plucked from the ground is now out of luck. And if you’re pulling off petals in a litmus test for your love-life, maybe that daisy loves you not.

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Heather Ring, Creative Director

Heather Ring is a landscape architect practicing in London and is the Founder and Creative Director of Wayward Plants. In 2010, she was commissioned by the Architecture Foundation to design and produce the Union Street Urban Orchard for the London Festival of Architecture and followed this, in 2011, with the Urban Physic Garden – a pop-up garden and summer festival of medicinal plants. Heather’s work has been exhibited internationally at venues including the Barbican in London, the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, the Graham Foundation in Chicago and the Metis International Garden Festival in Quebec.

Heather has worked for the international landscape practices of Gustafson Porter and Martha Schwartz Partners on the design of large-scale public spaces, developing projects that explored social engagement and ecological narratives. She has a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania School of Design. Beyond Wayward Plants, she presently lectures in the Masters of Landscape Architecture at Writtle School of Design and is a Senior Editor for Archinect.com.

Category Team

Thomas Kendall

Thomas Kendall is an Architectural designer and artist from Cornwall. He graduated from the Bartlett School of Architecture where his work focused on translating stories into tectonic space and human/spatial interactions. He now resides at the Royal College of Art studying for his Masters in Architecture.

He has spent the last two years working on design and build projects such as the Union Street Urban Orchard and the Urban Physic Garden with Wayward Plants, whilst running his own project, the Identikit Urban Playground, that focused on children’s interaction with the urban environment. Recent projects include a garden house in Barons Court, a stand at London Book Fair (for FIELL) and design consultancy for a housing development in Ghana amongst other projects.

He believes fairy tales are our future.

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Jarred Henderson

Jarred is a designer and urban grower. His passion and understanding of food, combined with a background in architectural design has led to a career managing farmers markets, community gardens, food growing projects and composting systems. Jarred joined Wayward Plants as Planting Lead for Urban Physic Garden in 2011 and now continues as an associate.

Jarred lectures widely on the designers role in urban agriculture, teaches at science specialist schools – introducing complex food systems 11 to 18 year olds – and is currently researching the introduction of industrial size composting wormeries to London’s high density housing estates.

Category Team

Rachel Mikulsky

Rachel started with us as an intern from Central St Martins (studying MA Creative Practice for Narrative Environments), and quickly became an integral part of the team as Volunteer Coordinator and Events Coordinator at the Urban Physic Garden. Using her recent experience in pirate radio, she is working to produce our ‘garden radio’ series. Currently, she is focusing her master’s dissertation on the Wayward Plant Nursery. Rachel is a multi-disciplinary designer with a foundation in sculpture from Camberwell College of Arts and a MA Honors in sustainable development from the University of St Andrews.

Category Team

Shortlisted for the Three Mills Play-Space Competition with Studio Weave!

Four shortlisted design teams (erect architecture, We Made That with Free Play, Studio Weave with Wayward Plants, and Kinnear Landscape Architects) have been selected to take part in the second stage of the Three Mills Play-space Competition. This selection was made following an open call for expressions of interest from those interested in proposing designs for a new play-space at Three Mills Green located in the borough of Newham, East London.

 

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Category Uncategorized

Best Urban Farm Projects [Monocle]

Monocle’s favourite cities combine small-scale neighbourhoods with green spaces, but not all cities were built with the right foundations for future growth and sustainability. We champion four urban innovators who see potential in derelict spaces and find creative approaches to make some of the world’s more challenging neighbourhoods bloom into richer and more pleasant places to stay.

Category News, Press

Algaegarden at the Metis International Garden Festival 2011

Designed by Heather Ring, Synnove Fredericks and Brenda Parker for the Metis International Garden Festival, 2011.

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Claire Healy

Claire completed her MA in Creative Practice for Narrative Environments at Central Saint Martins in 2011 having previously taken her BA in Arts, Design & Environment. Her work is centred around the practices of spatial design, curation and experience design. Claire began working with Wayward Plants as the Assistant Site Curator on the Urban Orchard where she was also responsible for curating an exhibition about cider-making called the ‘Scrumping Shed’. For the Urban Physic Garden she created the ‘Herbarium’ in collaboration with the Museum of Life Science’s at King’s College. Claire is particularly interested in creating environments that use story to drive memorable experiences and help to inform new ideas and perspectives.

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Writers and Storytellers

Wayward Plants creates botanical narratives, bringing together people through spaces and stories, and so we love working with writers, poets, playwrights, filmmakers, thinkers, researchers and storytellers. Here are a few of our collaborators – if you’ve got a story to tell, please get in touch!

Category Team

London’s Urban Acupuncture: The Urban Physic Garden [This Old Street]

“… But today, in order not to get in over my head in just one go, I will stick to one project that has brought me a lot of happiness lately: The Urban Physic Garden …”

Category News, Press

Algaegarden [Pruned]

“It’s a technolicious pergola (or is it an archetypal labyrinth? an espaliered cyborg-plant?) providing a cool respite from our post-millennial angst over peak oil and peak food.” – Alexander Trevi

Category News, Press

A Visit to the Urban Physic Garden [Guardian]

A visit to the Urban Physic Garden: Jane Perrone explores a pop-up community garden that’s spreading the word about the power of plants.

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An Alternative Urban Garden [Live Urban Love Rural]

“There’s been a lot written about London’s community gardens so far this summer. Whether it’s on a housing estate in Kennington, a floating allotment in Hackney, or in the Meanwhile Wildlife Garden in Kensington, it’s fair to say that community gardening is trending. But none intrigue me more than Union Street’s pop-up Urban Physic Garden …” – Rachel Bull for Live Urban Love Rural. Read more here.

Category Press

Wayward Artist [Lost in London]

The Summer Issue of this gorgeous magazine has an interview with Wayward Plants founder Heather Ring as well as an article on the Urban Physic Garden by Helen Babbs.

Category News, Press

The Young Architects Building Your Future [The Times]

A cinema under a flyover? A physic garden on wasteland? No unused site is safe from today’s ambitious young architects. By Ruth Lewy.

Category News, Press

Pop-up Physic Garden is Tonic for Derelict Space [Wired UK]

“A collective called Wayward Plants has built a pop-up physic garden on a derelict site in London, featuring a host of exotic medicinal plants and seeds as well as sculptures and games.” – Olivia Solon

Category Uncategorized

Designers, Artists and Makers

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Category Team

Urban Physic Garden is Just What the Doctor Ordered [Daily Candy]

Feel-Good Herbs Are a Dose of Calm …

Category News, Press

Urban Physic Garden, Union Street [Superimpose Magazine]

“Superimpose Magazine spoke with Heather, the creator of the Urban Physic Garden – she told us what we can look forward to from the project over the coming months…” They also created this lovely little film:

Urban Physic Garden, London from Superimpose Magazine on Vimeo.

Category News, Press

In Pictures: The Urban Physic Garden [Londonist]

“Imagine what an oasis in the heart of London might look like. Imagine sitting on a bench in the sun reading your paper, feeling relaxed and happy, being surrounded by plants, herbs and flowers that have powers to heal all sorts of ailments.

Now did you imagine your little piece of Eden on a neglected piece of wasteland next to a railway bridge? Probably not, but the rest of it is spot on …”

Pictures and Story by Angelina South and Stuart Cox -read it here.

Category Press

In Pictures: The Urban Physic Garden [BBC]

Plus London’s History of Herbal Treatments, by Helen Babbs.

Category News, Press

Urban Physic Garden opens in Southwark with pop-up supper club [Timeout]

The folks behind the Union Street Urban Orchard return this year with the Urban Physic Garden, an oasis of tranquility in Southwark …

Category Press

Wayward Plants part of creative consortium to win Meanwhile London Competition

A team which includes EXYZT, Spacemakers, Ash Sakula Architects and Wayward Plants were winners of a Meanwhile Space in Canning Town for the “Canning Town Caravanserai” and “Children’s City.” 6000 square metres of brownfield land will be transformed into an exciting living installation by a collective of architects, artists, thinkers, makers, community groups and local residents.

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Category News

Help us build the Urban Physic Garden!

This summer an Urban Physic Garden will bloom on a slice of neglected London land – the work of a collective of designers, urban growers and, hopefully, you!

Last year we created the Union Street Urban Orchard, this year our community garden returns to Union Street, and will be shaped by the hospital and the pharmacy, with a focus on medicinal plants and herbs that heal. Work starts this spring, before a grand opening in June, and we’re after all the help we can get. We need your muscles, plants and enthusiasm throughout May. Sign up to volunteer, pledge a plant or share your own herbal recipes and remedies!

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Adoption Events

Wayward Plants holds adoption events and community exchanges for unwanted plants. Check out past events, including ones at the Barbican Art Gallery and the Edinburgh Annuale!

Category Featured, Spaces and Events

A registry of unwanted plants



Read our stories of unwanted plants, some still seeking homes!

Discussion Leave a comment Category Featured, Spaces and Events

Urban Orchard in “My Green City” Book

My Green City: Back to Nature with Attitude and Style, Gestalten Press.
A stylish compilation of work and ideas that are bringing nature back into our cities.
Check it out here!

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