Newcastle’s iconic Quayside on the River Tyne was brought to life as part of the NE1 Summer in the City project during the summer of 2021 which transformed a number of outdoor spaces across the city.
Our customer Southern Green Ltd was commissioned to design and install sixty-nine planters by their client NE1 Ltd with the planting interventions designed and delivered within 10 weeks, including the procurement of all materials. JCC Engineers, Trevor Atkinson Landscapes, AH Events, Glebe House Vintage, Merchant no.1, RASKL Studio and The Traveller and the Bear were also part of the team brought together by NE1 to deliver this ambitious project.
The sixty-nine large planters were installed along the Quayside. The planters were made from upcycled concrete manhole rings, decorated and filled with shrubs, herbaceous, grasses and trees, alongside various art installations to enhance the planting design.
Southern Green Ltd called upon Johnsons to supply a large number of plants including Carex Testacea, Achillea ‘Cloth of Gold’ Hebe ‘Sutherlandii’, Lavandula ‘Munstead’, Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’, Salvia ‘Caradonna’, Astilbe ‘Fanal’, Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus, Campanula ‘Perla Blue’ and Verbena bonariensis.
The project was delivered on schedule and within the 10-week time frame.
Other pop-ups installed throughout Newcastle’s city centre included a large open-air cinema Screen on the Green at Old Eldon Square, ‘Wave-Field’, an installation of 8 seesaws, the Urban Garden at Wesley Square, a 75m long pavement vinyl by artist Tim Gresham, 3D Street Art by 3D Joe & Max and even water activities on the river.
The ‘Summer in the City’ project encouraged tourists and locals into the city, with new attractions and activities which were enjoyed by all age groups.
Liam Haggarty, Southern Green Director, said: “It has been a privilege to be involved in yet another fantastic and innovative project working alongside friends and colleagues at NE1. The project is an exemplar for what can be achieved with a ‘can do’ attitude and a fantastic team of people all willing to go the extra mile from start to finish.
Johnsons are always great to work with and provide the highest quality plant stock. They agreed to a nursery visit at very short notice, and then collated and delivered everything to our exacting specification within a matter of days, which was one of the key factors to the successful delivery of the works on site – thank you again to Tony and his team.”
Alex Slack, Head of Special Projects at NE1 Ltd said: “The Summer in the City project and associated Quayside interventions are the result of months of hard work, dedication and commitment of everybody involved. Emerging from lockdown and faced with both material and labour shortages (as well as a relatively short lead in) it was vital that we had the right people in place to deliver our vision. The creativity and innovative thinking of Southern Green coupled with a first-rate service from Johnsons enabled us to achieve something truly remarkable despite numerous challenges. We are absolutely thrilled with the result and are enormously grateful to all who contributed.”
