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Photos: QR codes, herbal medicine and ping pong? Welcome to the Urban Physic Garden

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Urban Physic Garden

Take your mobile to the plant hospital...

The Urban Physic Garden, a green oasis built on a neglected piece of wasteland in Southwark, brings together modern mobile technology with ancient homeopathic remedies.

Filled with plants that serve medicinal purposes, the Urban Physic Garden uses QR codes - such as the one pictured above - to provide visitors with links to information about each of the plants featured in the garden.

Published: June 24, 2011 -- 12:04 GMT (05:04 PDT)
Photo by: Shelley Portet/silicon.com

Caption by: Shelley Portet
Urban Physic Garden

According to Jarred Henderson, planting lead at the Urban Physic Garden, QR codes are used to provide accurate information to visitors and to avoid accidentally misinforming people about the properties of plants in the garden.

"Some plants are poisonous so you wouldn't want to get it wrong," Henderson told silicon.com.

The QR codes provide a neater alternative to labels describing the plants, he added.

Published: June 24, 2011 -- 12:04 GMT (05:04 PDT)
Photo by: Shelley Portet/silicon.com

Caption by: Shelley Portet
Urban Physic Garden

The Urban Physic Garden takes a hospital as its inspiration, with the plants divided into different wards depending on their medicinal properties.

Some labels provide short descriptions along with the QR codes, as shown above. According to Henderson, the decision to include both was taken because a significant number of visitors to the garden did not have a smartphone or know what a QR code is and how it works.

Published: June 24, 2011 -- 12:04 GMT (05:04 PDT)
Photo by: Shelley Portet/silicon.com

Caption by: Shelley Portet
Urban Physic Garden

The garden also features a number of art installations, including the hospital radio pictured above, which visitors use a stethoscope to listen to.

Published: June 24, 2011 -- 12:04 GMT (05:04 PDT)
Photo by: Emma Bayly/silicon.com

Caption by: Shelley Portet
Urban Physic Garden

A solar panel is used to power an on-site sewage waste disposal unit so the volunteers and visitors of the Urban Physic Garden can have a minimal impact on the local ecology.

Published: June 24, 2011 -- 12:04 GMT (05:04 PDT)
Photo by: Shelley Portet/silicon.com

Caption by: Shelley Portet
Urban Physic Garden

The Urban Physic Garden dining area is covered with a roof that collects rain water used to fill a pond and water the plants.

Published: June 24, 2011 -- 12:04 GMT (05:04 PDT)
Photo by: Shelley Portet/silicon.com

Caption by: Shelley Portet
Urban Physic Garden

After taking in all that medicinal knowledge, visitors can have some fun in the garden by riding on a seesaw or using the skip ping pong table.

Published: June 24, 2011 -- 12:04 GMT (05:04 PDT)
Photo by: Shelley Portet/silicon.com

Caption by: Shelley Portet

1 of 7 NEXT PREV

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Take your mobile to the plant hospital...

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Urban Physic Garden

Take your mobile to the plant hospital...

The Urban Physic Garden, a green oasis built on a neglected piece of wasteland in Southwark, brings together modern mobile technology with ancient homeopathic remedies.

Filled with plants that serve medicinal purposes, the Urban Physic Garden uses QR codes - such as the one pictured above - to provide visitors with links to information about each of the plants featured in the garden.

Published: June 24, 2011 -- 12:04 GMT (05:04 PDT)

Caption by: Shelley Portet

1 of 7 NEXT PREV

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