A rubble-filled site in Union Street, Southwark, has been transformed into the Urban Physic Garden which opens to the public on Saturday. Six weeks ago the site was fenced-off wasteland awaiting development. A group of designers and urban growers approached the landowner, Lake Estates, and were given keys and permission to transform it into a temporary community garden.

A physic garden is a place where plants with medicinal properties grow. London’s first was founded in Chelsea in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries. Today the focus is on education and conservation, often nurturing rare or exotic species.

As the build progressed, structures started to appear. The pharmacy cross was a big influence on the design, and the site was organised around cross-shaped structures that formed garden rooms. Each room focuses on a different area of medicine – be that respiratory, gastroenterology or oncology – and is planted with herbs that treat related medical complaints.

Volunteers were enlisted to help out and, since the beginning of May, more than a hundred people have helped. Tasks ranged from litter-picking and wood sorting, to carpentry and construction. Painting and planting were also important jobs. Local residents and workers were keen to be part of the project, giving up their free time to create a new community garden for Southwark.

The garden quickly started to take shape with various artists installing eye-catching creations, including an overhead watering system made from copper pipes and a bio-digester loo. Crosses made out of moss and a ‘herbarium’ featuring dried and drying plant specimens was erected alongside a soil hospital, a plant orphanage and an algae pond.

Selecting the plants and organising them into the correct hospital wards was a complicated task. Grown off-site, volunteers helped plant them into the specially constructed hospital ward beds. All the plants were chosen for their medicinal properties and many are edible and sweet-smelling, although some are considered dangerous and are kept in a ‘poison cabinet’.

Found in the Urban Physic Garden’s dermatology ward, pot marigold (or calendula) is one of the best known and most versatile herbs in Western herbal medicine. Taken internally, it supports the lymphatic system. Externally, the bright orange petals can be infused into ointments and creams to heal the skin whilst fresh pot marigold petals are edible.

There is a cafe on site, housed in an old ambulance, with a large banqueting table, benches and chairs made out of salvaged wood. All the materials used in the garden were reclaimed and recycled from waste. People donated materials they no longer needed, while other items were simply found.

Already this garden is home to bees and beetles, and a blue tit was spotted in one of the bird boxes. This wild wall has been planted with species selected for their biodiversity value – berries and flowers not only look good but also provide food and shelter for visiting insects and birds.