The Union Terrace Gardens lawn will be turfed “soon,” city chiefs have said, after the bare earth was transformed into a sand art canvas.
A beautiful, intricate flower in full bloom was spotted in the Victorian park on Thursday morning.
Daffodils were perched at the centre, offering splash of colour to the lifeless brown earth beneath.
At first a mystery as to who was responsible, artist Dougie Bogie had fun on Instagram with the front page of The Evening Express as he took credit.
Union Terrace Gardens still unfinished after £30m refurbishment
The gardens (UTG) reopened after a three-year, £30 million, revamp in December.
But given the “not ideal” cold temperatures of the Granite City through the winter, council bosses decided to leave the grass unlaid.
Crowds traipsing through the park in their thousands for the Spectra light festival were another reason to leave the lawn to the mud.
It was feared the high footfall would damage any new grass beyond repair anyway.
But a council spokesman has told us: “We are aware of the sand in Union Terrace Gardens, which was not council-organised but has not caused any concern.
“The turfing is expected to be completed soon.
“The timing will depend on the weather as the area has been too wet during the winter and early spring to progress with the work.”
But that means the council has already missed its ideal window for turfing, which boffins at the Royal Horticultural Society advise is between mid-autumn and early spring.
Baked mud makes for perfect canvas in Union Terrace Gardens
A recent warm spell has baked the ground, providing, at least, the perfect canvas for Aberdeen’s would-be Sand Banksy.
Taking the lawn off the pre-opening to-do list allowed the council to meet its self-imposed Christmas deadline for a public opening.
Mr Bogie’s contribution in the gardens comes as debate continues over the value of the multi-million-pound facelift.
Social media commenters have criticised a continuing lack of greenery around the gardens, though spring flowers have added a desperately needed splash of colour in recent weeks.
Key times of the year were missed for planting last year, meaning UTG continues to be a work in progress throughout its first year being open.
The impromptu installation raised the question of when grass would finally be laid in the once-green city centre haven, much-loved by sunseekers during the summer months.
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