PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, 2022

The Peter Rabbit Garden

Peter Rabbit: 120 years of Mischief

On entry to the garden, children are met with an option to grow, nurture and pick fruit and vegetables in the Peter Rabbit Kitchen Garden or, depending on how you're feeling, you might hop down the Benjamin Button Bunny Path. Wildlife thrives at the Jemima Puddleduck Pond, with frogs and dragonflies finding shelter amongst the iris and equisetum. The Peter Rabbit Burrow offers a shortcut to the outdoor learning space - an all weather, sheltered space redefining the idea of what a classroom is. Find some dappled shade under the birch trees in Flopsy Bunny Reading Corner or on a grey day, there's always Mr. McGregor's Shed where friends can chatter and hang out.

The transformation of a previously derelict and unused part of the playground in St. Clements St. James Primary School, North Kensington, brought the story of Peter Rabbit to life through a garden filled with joy, wildlife and, most importantly, mischief. To celebrate Peter Rabbit's 120th anniversary, Grow to Know ideated, designed and delivered on what is a permanent, purposeful and playful garden for the school, and wider community, to enjoy for years to come.

This garden symbolises a need for nature access for young people and communities, offering opportunities for curricular and extra curricular activation of space. Bringing into reality a garden to be enjoyed, whilst also amplifying the messaging around the overlap of education, community, design and creativity, is expressed and captured through the Peter Rabbit garden. The legacy of Beatrix Potter, born in the same borough of the school and in the same year of its founding, underpins our efforts to unlock the potential of planet and people. It is our hope that future generations will follow in her footsteps to pioneer positivity and change.

GROW WITH PETER

With the garden being a local project to support a community, Grow to Know teamed up with Penguin to share ideas, skills and suggestions on how children could engage nature at home with short videos shared on social media to engage a nationwide, and global audience.

PARTNERS
Penguin Random House, Dobbies, Octavia Foundation, St. Clements St. James Primary School, SuDS UK

AWARDS & MEDIA
ITV's Alan Titchmarsh's Gardening Club
The Standard
HortWeek