Growing artwork helps to raise climate concerns

The living curtain of seedling grass was used to frame a tree during the opening week of December at the climate convention in Paris, where the aim was to raise awareness of the urban heat island effect and to change preconceptions about how we regard plants and trees beyond their more immediate amenity and ecosystem services. The grass was grown using Germinal's A26 - Green seed mixture and sculpted by Dorking - based artists Ackroyd and Harvey. The installation made a huge impact and was a great success, with many people commenting that they couldn't believe grass could be 'grown like a huge living pelt' describes the artwork's creator, Heather Ackroyd. Part of that success was due to the ability of the grass to maintain its vibrant green colour, even during the short winter days of December. A26 - Green is made up of four grass cultivars: 60% AberNile (Perennial Ryegrass), 35% Borluna (Slender Creeping Red Fescue), 2.5% Highland (Browntop Bent) and 2.5% Tyee (Creeping Bent). A26 is the ultimate Stay-Green seed mixture as it contains the unique AberNile perennial ryegrass, explains Richard Brown, Germinal's Amenity Sales Manager. This one-of-a-kind cultivar is the result of Germinal's unique plant breeding association with IBERS (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth University) where the focus is on breeding the very best and most sustainable grasses. AberNile was selected specifically for its ability to maintain a dark green colour, and as the photo of the art installation clearly illustrates, looked visually stunning set against its Parisienne backdrop.