'eden in the city' you've walked past every day but never seen

THESE BUSY CITY STREETS ARE HIDING THEIR OWN BEAUTIFUL OASES OF CALM AND COLOUR 07:53, 01 Jun 2025 A group of gardens will open in Liverpool for the National Garden Scheme, which bring

together a community of garden lovers passionate about sharing their spaces. From the lovely garden at 27 Canning Street behind a now-listed Georgian home to the Granby Winter Garden and

Back Alley Garden behind a row of lived-in and derelict houses, this collection of green spaces will open on Sunday, June 22. Visitors can step into the garden at 27 Canning Street and be

immersed in history and horticulture. What in the 1970s were rundown houses now form part of the Georgian Quarter conservation area and the small walled garden owned by Waltraud Boxall at

number 27 is a delight. The tall walls that enclose the space provide a protective environment for ornamentals and edibles alike. There is a huge, productive fig under planted with cistus,

tree peonies and irises, a grape vine that unashamedly visits the neighbours and blemish free hostas protected from the usual enemies by garlic water. Where there was once a small lawn area

for the children to play there is now a vegetable patch hedged with fruit trees, and closer to the house where there is deeper shade is a bog garden and glorious ferns. Elsewhere in the

city, the café run by Squash Liverpool serves produce is sourced locally from the Grapes Community Food Garden, which also forms part of the National Garden Scheme group. Article continues

below Created on an old car park the Grapes Community Food Garden provides a hub for locals to gather and grow with a small orchard, raised beds, poly tunnel, geo dome and pizza oven, it’s a

place with huge heart looked after by Horticultural Lead, Jackie Swanson. Not too far from the Windsor Street café, the Granby Winter Garden was created in two derelict houses when the

Granby 4 Streets area was restored by local residents. The garden brings the concept of guerrilla gardening the locals have long enjoyed on their streets to an inside gathering space that is

now used for workshops, events, artist residencies and social gatherings as well as a shared space for gardening. It has a ‘spare room,’ kitchen and accessible bathroom and the interiors

have been installed with ceramics by Granby Workshop. With the floors removed the open space is filled with light, plants and a dramatic chandelier. Outside the property is the Granby Back

Alley Garden where residents have repurposed a once unfriendly alley into a feast of unusual and eclectic planting. Also in the group is the Pakistan Association Liverpool Wellbeing Garden

which received a Community Garden Grant from the National Garden Scheme. The garden is a place where locals grow vegetables, herbs and flowers and are aiming to develop a beautiful space for

the community from recycled materials and donated plants. The National Garden Scheme gives visitors unique access to over 3,300 exceptional private gardens in England, Wales, Northern

Ireland and the Channel Islands, and raises money for some of the UK's best-loved nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cake. Article continues below Thanks to the

generosity of garden owners, volunteers and visitors, the charity has donated more than £74 million to beneficiary charities, and in 2024 made donations of over £3.5 million. Founded in 1927

to support district nurses, its beneficiaries include Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK, Parkinson’ UK, Carers Trust and The Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing. Members

of the public can visit these spaces when the group opens on Sunday, June 22.