Liverpool: Eden in the city

There is a group of gardens that open for the National Garden Scheme in Liverpool 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 behind a row of lived in and derelict houses, this group is an inspirational collection of green spaces. Read on to find out more …

Step into the garden at 27 Canning Street and be prepared to be immersed in history and horticulture. What in the 1970s were run down houses in the red light district 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 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. Waltraud brings it all to life with her eclectic mix of pots and wonderful tales of life in Liverpool.

From the rarefied architecture of the Georgian quarter you can walk or drive to the other side of Liverpool Cathedral – the largest in the UK – and into Toxteth. An area developed during the 18th and 19th century mainly as a residential area to accommodate the increasing working-class community centred on Liverpool following the Industrial Revolution, it has a different, grittier feel. Start or finish at the cafe run by Squash Liverpool and enjoy fabulous food in a modern setting where much of the produce is sourced locally from the Grapes Community Food Garden which also forms part of the group. 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 Jackie Swanson. Watch the video below for more information.

In sharp contrast, the Granby Winter Garden turns our normal ideas of what a garden should be inside out. Created in two derelict houses when the Granby 4 Streets area was restored by local residents it brings the concept of guerilla 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 plants and a dramatic chandelier.

Step out the back and you’ll find the Granby Back Alley Garden where residents have repurposed a once unfriendly alley into a feast of unusual and eclectic planting. Wander the alley and be amazed at what you can find growing.

Also in the group is the Pakistan Association Liverpool Wellbeing Garden which received a Community Garden Grant from the National Garden Scheme and is home to a multi-cultural mix of locals who enjoy the garden, grow vegetables, herbs and flowers and are aiming to develop a beautiful space for the community from recycled materials and donated plants. It’s a tall order when rubbish wafts in from the streets and the soil is an inch deep but the passionate team are working hard to improve the area.

This is not the bucolic village group of gardens that one might expect from the National Garden Scheme but is is packed with passion and heart and a committed local community.

Visit when the group opens on Sunday 22 June … the cafe at Squash (and it’s wonderful array of homemade products and organic food) comes highly recommended!

Discover more

Jackie Swanson, Horticultural Lead at Squash, Liverpool tells us more about the Grapes Community Food Garden in Toxteth that opens for the National Garden Scheme on
22 June, 2025 as part of the Canning and Toxteth Gardens group. For more details about the opening click here