Lincoln University’s School of Landscape Architecture has turned a campus fence into a feast for the senses by adorning it with makeshift planter boxes of herbs as part of a vertical studio project
The school runs a vertical studio each year, which gives first, second, third and fourth-year Bachelor of Landscape Architecture students the opportunity to connect and work together.
This year’s project involved using recycled local materials to create the planter boxes, which are designed to be enjoyed by the entire Lincoln University community.
“The catering department donated juice bottles for us to use and the university supplied the potting mix,” said School of Landscape Architecture lecturer Nada Toueir. “Then we obtained a selection of herbs from Mitre 10 Hornby. The aim is to minimise waste as much as possible.”
The students were put into teams and asked to assess a selection of fences around campus, then decide which one they wanted to use as the backdrop for their vertical herb garden.
Each team received two juice bottles and came up with their own planter prototypes, and the entire group voted on which idea they liked best.
A fence near Lincoln University’s iconic Ivey Hall was chosen as the ideal location for the herb garden and the students worked hard to produce the resulting display. They are expected to continue tending for the plants, although the wider Lincoln University community is welcome to play a role in looking after the garden.
Dr Toueir said it was an ideal opportunity for the students to work towards a common goal and learn about a broad range of landscape architecture techniques.
“We are very proud of our students.”