On a side street in King’s Cross can be found a wall covered in plants in an unusual plant pot — a sculpture garden.

This is “Vert”, by the sculptor Neil Ayling and was put here on Wharfedale Road in October 2013.

It was commissioned by the local charity King’s Cross Community Projects to fill a previously blank wall on the King’s Cross gyratory system that’s beside Places for People’s Battlebridge Court block and adjacent to Complete Offices’ Lighterman House, both of whom were project partners.

Although the metalwork was by Neil Ayling, it was then planted up to a design by landscape artist, Marie Clarke. Although installed in late 2013, in the summer of 2016 it was completely replanted as it seemed that the previous plants weren’t quite suitable for the site, as they were smaller and emphasised the sculpture rather than the planting. That replanting won the silver prize in the 2016 Islington in Bloom competition.

I have to say that personally, looking at old photos, I preferred the original design, even though I can see why the locals wanted a lot more foliage and less sculptural planting.

The current riot of planting does somewhat conceal the sculpture.

Do also notice the protective bollard next to it, as it’s in the same structural style.

Apart from enlivening the area, it also stopped the pavement from being used as a car park, as the Google street view archive shows it often was.

Plants instead of cars.