How does our garden grow? is a socially engaged art project. It aims to uncover the connections between our current habitats and those of the past to understand how nature has survived urbanisation on the site of the Friern Manor Farm Estate in East Dulwich, southeast London, since this dairy farm was sold in 1865 for residential development.

This is also an adventure in ‘citizen science’. So in summer 2024 I invited the local community to join the project, where volunteers left an area of their garden untouched to encourage flora to grow, and document the plants they see. In this biodiversity survey, they also identified and recorded plant species on public land.

The volunteers discovered over 100 wildflowers, grasses and trees from nearly 250 observations. Using historical references, I concluded that at least 30 plant species that grew on Friern Manor Farm in the 19th century continue to flourish today.

They include winter barley, wood forget-me-nots, white clover, wild strawberries, foxtail grass, creeping buttercups, and English oak and horse chestnut trees.

These discoveries form part of a botanical and historical digital archive hosted on this website.

As socially engaged art, How does our garden grow? aims at all times to include the community. I therefore hosted a community event and exhibition in July 2024, which celebrated the natural world, local history and the people of East Dulwich. It took place in the church hall at St Clement with St Peter Church – once the site of Friern Manor Farm.

Since I discovered that the farm itself is of historical interest, with connections to royalty, Dickens, politics and the Napoleonic Wars, the event featured an exhibition and film telling its story.

Among the artworks was an immersive soundscape lounge of birdsong and breezes. Voices was a sound installation where residents spoke about their experiences and memories of living in East Dulwich. This was accompanied by portrait photography of the participants.

Families took part in workshops making seed bombs, which they took home to plant in their gardens and increase local plant diversity. The church’s heritage orchard was also opened for tours.

How does our garden grow? was inspired by my four-month study in summer 2023 to see what grew in my back garden when I didn’t mow the grass or do the weeding. I found over 20 new plants flourishing during this exciting ‘wilding’ experiment – from bulbous oatgrass to French crane’s bell – and documented them through clay, drawings, photographs, film and sound.

This project is ongoing, and I aim to add to the archive as and when I make new discoveries about the ecology, biodiversity and history of East Dulwich.

 So please check back here to follow developments!

 Best wishes

 Sharon Neish

Artist