Design success for pocket-sized city gardeners
A miniature garden designed by children in Morningside is among the winners of a national competition organised by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful.
The youngsters from Greenbank Pre-School Nursery have now been invited to build and grow their garden, before filming or photographing their creation for inclusion in an interactive online showcase.
Working in partnership with the Garden for Life Forum, the charity invited nursery and school pupils, aged three to 18, to design a pocket-sized garden which included food for people, was good for wildlife and reused something.
More than 100 entries were submitted, representing the work of whole classes and schools, all showing great imagination and creativity linked to the theme of ‘nature’s engineers’.
The design for the Greenbank Picnic Garden shows a space full of flavour, with an array of aromatic and leafy herbs such as parsley, chives, rocket, sage, basil and thyme.
Fruits and vegetables also feature, providing a riot of colour with the likes of beetroot, chard, peas and carrots.
It is hoped insects and animals – nature's engineers that are essential for pollinating food crops – will be attracted by nectar and pollen rich flowers, as well as a shallow pool of fresh water.
The Greenbank design was one of 30 winners selected across 19 local authority areas. The online showcase garden will be on display in June, when members of the public will be invited to visit to vote for their favourite.
Eve Keepax, Education and Learning Officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “Pocket Garden has once again inspired some fantastic learning and ideas. Nature’s Engineering is the world’s most sustainable technology, from bird nests to beaver dams. It provides solutions for the challenges of life in amazing ways.
"The children celebrate nature’s engineers in their designs and will use sustainable ways to grow and create their gardens so that they’re good for wildlife and can also provide a wee snack for visitors."
The showcase will open for voting from June 14-24 at www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/pocketgarden
The showcase will open for voting from June 14 to 24