Pop-up garden ideas wanted for Square

Want to help bring a pop of nature and a splash of colour to Cathedral Square?

The hunt is on for imaginative design ideas for three small pop-up gardens to enliven Cathedral Square over the summer months.

Christchurch garden designers could draw inspiration from this pop-up garden at the Moscow Flower Jam Festival.

“This city is teeming with creative people and passionate gardeners so we are really excited to see what ideas people come up with for these temporary pop-up gardens.” says Christchurch City Council Head of Urban Design, Regeneration and Heritage, Carolyn Ingles.

“They might want to create a themed garden, something whimsical or playful, or they might want to create an entirely edible garden.

We’re open to all ideas but the gardens must feature a seating area, greenery and colour within the space,’’

People have until 29 October 2018 to submit their design ideas. All entries will be evaluated by an independent panel who will select eight designs for the public to vote on. 

The three winning designs will each receive $2000 in prize money.

The winning gardens will be installed in early December and remain in the Square for three to four months for everyone to come and enjoy.

“Good things come in small packages and we think these pop-up gardens have the potential to make a big impact in the Square so show us something eye-catching, something we haven’t seen before,’’ Ms Ingles says.

The pop-up gardens are the latest initiative of the Council’s Enliven Places Programme, which is aimed at showing how temporary spaces can bring people together, foster a sense of place, support local businesses and create enthusiasm and excitement about the regenerating city.

“These temporary pop-up gardens are an opportunity to introduce some natural elements into Cathedral Square and to see how people react to having more green spaces to enjoy.’’

The pop-up gardens will measure just three metres by four-metres in size and will need to be modular in design so they can be transported in sections and easily assembled on site.

A budget of $8000 has been allocated to each garden, but the Council intends to add further value by working with industry partners to help deliver the winning designs.

At the end of the project consideration will be given to what plants and other items can be reused to improve central city amenity or be donated to the community.