Pop-up parks pop up again

Planting boxes, soil and plants from the 17 green pop-up parks that brought colour to Kungsportsavenyn during summer are now getting a new lease of life in schoolyards around Gothenburg. Secondary school pupils at Nya Påvelund school are already looking forward to sowing, cultivating and harvesting plants.

After three months on show along the main boulevard, Avenyn, the pop-up parks that were admired by so many people were dismantled at the start of August. For nine weeks in summer they brought a welcome splash of colour to the main boulevard and tempted many residents and tourists to stop, admire the beautiful gardens, and hopefully take some inspiring ideas home with them.

In a similar way, Emma Naqvi, project coordinator for “educational growing” activities at the Environment Administration, hopes that the gardens will continue to inspire big ideas in the city’s schoolyards – promoting outdoor education and raising awareness of the many benefits that the city’s green spaces offer residents of Gothenburg.

New life as educational school gardens

Throughout September, truckloads of soil and plants were distributed to schools across Gothenburg. One of the pop-up parks found an especially welcome home at Nya Påvelund school: there the planting boxes will provide the foundation of a school garden with clear educational links to the classroom.

Natural science teacher Linda Blohm quickly realised that a school garden would fit in well at Nya Påvelund school, where the largely asphalted schoolyard offered little in the way of greenery.

Linda Blohm

“My mum works at Nya Varvet school. They have had a school garden there for several years, so I naturally wanted us to have one too,” says Linda, standing next to the soil-filled boxes stocked with plants that are now heading into dormancy as the autumn chill descends.

The plants include heather, stonecrop, catnip, Eutrochium purpureum and buddleia, as well as a cypress and recently planted cyclamen.

“I think we should plant rhubarb in front of the rowan tree, and the other side of the tree will be a good spot for a compost heap. But first we will probably get the year seven children to plant some bulbs,” says Linda, who has received encouragement for this new initiative from the head teacher and her colleagues.

Experience gathered from the school gardens will be linked to lessons in various ways. And eventually it is hoped that vegetables and herbs will also find their way on to school lunch plates.

Text: Lars Hjertberg