London city’s secret gardens (leafy finds)
London is an official urban forest, with more trees than people. It has over 3000 parks and thousands of tree-lined streets, including many secret green spaces:
Out walking? Follow the Countryside Code to keep all creatures safe. Keep dogs away from steep banks, mushrooms (and other toxic plants/trees) and on leads during nesting season (and near barnyard friends and wild ponies).
Did you know many trees (including yew, oak and sycamore) are unsafe near horses? Also keep conkers away from dogs. Councils should not plant flowers in railings, as deer can get stuck in them.
Don’t visit a hidden London garden to ‘do anything’. You won’t find skateboard parks or ice-cream shops or tearooms here. You’ll just find peace and quiet.
- Culpeper Community Garden transformed a barren area back in the 1980s. There are places to relax, and also some people use the garden to grow their own vegetables.
- Hampstead Hill Garden sits within a large park, with trees, stone paths and flowers. Mostly left to grow wild and organic. It’s a well-known oasis of calm in a busy part of the city.
- Red Cross Garden was created in 1887 by Octavia Hill, a social former who founded the National Trust. Filled with trees and colourful flowers, there are benches to look over the grass, or to chat or read.
- The Onion Garden is close to the Houses of Parliament. It grows many plants, but not onions! The name is due to when monks used to grow them, but now it’s more flowers.
- Phoenix Garden is a small garden in central London, quiet and calm (despite being near busy buildings and roads). Run by volunteers, bees and butterflies have already discovered it
- Postman’s Park (near St Paul’s cathedral) is a quiet spot to relax, and a fitting tribute to those who have saved other people’s lives. The Memorial includes stories from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
- St Dunstan in the East (in the city of London) sits amid the ruins of a church that was hit by bombs during World War II. Built in the 12th century, it had already been damaged in the Great Fire of London (1666). This time, when bombed, the local people decided to turn the area into a public garden, instead of rebuild the church.
A quick guide to London’s everyday trees
- London plane: Common on central streets, with patchy, flaking bark. Leaves are broad and hand-shaped, with round seed balls.
- Oak and beech: Often found in older parks. Oaks have lobed leaves and rough bark, while beech bark is smoother and grey, and wavy leaves.
- Lime (linden): Planted in avenues, with heart-shaped leaves and a sweet smell in summer. You might notice sticky residue on parked cars beneath.
- Birch: Popular in newer plantings, with pale, papery bark and small, light leaves that flutter in wind.
- Fruit trees: Seen in community orchards and some estates, with blossom in spring and small apples or plums later on.
