This was the culmination of a year of preparation and planning with the London National Park City campaign, Croydon Council, Timberland and KINC.
It was our biggest installation to date: more complex logistics, more visibility, more carpentry and more partners than any other project.
The installation had been delayed by C-19, and we had to massively reduce our ambitions for community involvement. Of course the English summer gave us its absolute best – with two tropical storms bearing down on us, we got four seasons in one week!
You can see more about the background to the project here, and the pre-launch community consultation event here. While the video below highlights the campaign in full.
One of the most challenging elements was the need to construct large, mobile planters. This was to allow the space to be multi-use, with enough space for market stalls on the weekends.
Notice the gap at the foot of the planter, which allows a pallet truck to lift up the 500kg of timber, soil and plants. 
The site had to look its best on the day of completion, so we ordered in gigantic plants, like the Phormium below, to ensure that the gardens looked full from day 1.
We could not have done it without the help of local young volunteers, setting up the beds, sanding and filling beds with compost. It was a chance to teach some construction skills as well.
The site on day 1… 
Slowly being filled with new planters…
Removing the old weeds 
The replanted bus stop beds
We worked with local community organisations and the council to ensure that the site would be maintained after the installation. Local businesses all chipped in, allowing us access to their water and storage facilities to make it all possible.
