Olympic Park Stich Planting

One of the most innovative elements in the plantings in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, the Stitch Plantings were designed as temporary installations around the edge of development plots before new building happened, and alongside roads leading out of the park to ‘stich’ the park into its surroundings.  They were installed in 2013 through a combination of low-density planting of perennials and bulbs combined with a seed mix of annuals, biennials, and perennials.  They were intended to receive minimal or no maintenance, and to develop through a natural succession process.  Although originally intended to be in place for just a few years, a few examples still remain, and, in addition to the originally introduced species, have also been colonised by typical urban plants, leading to an exciting hybrid outcome.