London’s top ten glorious gardens
With Chelsea Flower Show just around the corner, May is the month for gardens. A surprising fact for many is that as well as being one of the greatest capital cities on the planet, London is also a garden lover’s paradise. Whether you’re after a sensory afternoon among roses, or a chance to see show-stopping orchids in a greenhouse, you can find what you love in London.
The ten gardens below are some of the capital’s most glorious green spaces.
Kew Gardens
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew is a Unesco World Heritage Site, and home to the world’s most diverse collection of living plants. Spanning 321 acres, landscaped gardens include the ornate Great Pagoda and Kew Palace – the former summer residence of King George III, which is open to visitors in the summer months. Other highlights are the Palm House, the Japanese Gateway, and the recently restored Temperate House – the largest surviving Victorian glasshouse in the world. A 60ft-high Treetop Walkway gives you a birds eye view of the gardens, and nearby Petersham Nurseries in Richmond is perfect for post-walk refreshments.
Price: Adults £22, under-fours free
Chelsea Physic Garden
A ten-minute walk from Sloane Square tube station, this is London’s oldest botanic garden. Hidden behind high brick walls and spread across 3.5 acres, it’s home to more than 4,500 medicinal, edible, and useful plants, and has the largest outdoor olive tree in Britain. Don’t leave without sampling the herbal-infused cakes and teas in the garden café.
Adults, £13.50, under-fives free
Kyoto Garden, Holland Park
Free to enter, this serene Japanese garden in the heart of Holand Park was a gift from Kyoto to celebrate the Japan Festival in 1991. Just a five-minute walk from Holland Park tube station, cascading waterfalls, ornamental ponds filled with koi carp, and immaculately pruned shrubs create a peaceful garden, complete with majestic, free-range peacocks.
Gardens at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace has an incredible 39 acres of sweeping lawns and a three-and-a-half-acre lake, right in the centre of London. From July to September visitors can walk specially designed trails past wildflower meadows, rose gardens and beehives. Advance booking is essential.
Adult tickets from £16.50
The Garden at 120
Free to enter and no booking required, The Garden at 120 is a green space with sweeping views across London. Set 15 storeys above Fenchurch Street, this elegantly landscaped rooftop is planted with wisteria, wildflowers, and olive trees, creating a peaceful escape from the city. Wooden decking, water features and thoughtfully designed seating areas encourage visitors to relax and enjoy the experience. Nearby Fortnum & Mason’s Royal Exchange café is ideal for a post-visit coffee.
Barbican Conservatory
Tropical plants in the conservatory of this futuristic arts complex climb the concrete beams, and koi carp glide beneath steel walkways. Part plant haven, part architectural marvel, it’s the perfect escape from the city streets. On a Sunday afternoon, tie in a matinee performance or explore the Barbican’s art exhibitions.
Entry is free but booking is recommended.
Phoenix Garden
A stone’s throw from the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden and Soho, the Phoenix Garden is a local’s secret. This free to enter community-run space was established in the 1980s and is now a wildlife haven, with wildflower meadows alive with bees and butterflies. About now is the perfect time to visit when the wildflowers are at their best.
The Hill Garden and Pergola, Hampstead
Perched above Hampstead Heath, this semi-wild Edwardian garden is one of London’s most romantic hidden corners, perfect for picnics with City views. Built in 1906 by philanthropist Lord Leverhulme for his summer parties, the stone columns and walkways are now overgrown with vines, and all the more charming for it.
Natural History Museum Wildlife Garden
Hidden behind the museum, the Wildlife Garden celebrates Britain’s rich biodiversity, with woodland, meadow, pond, and hedgerow habitats all carefully recreated. More than 3,000 species have been recorded here, from dragonflies to hedgehogs, happily proving that nature is thriving in the middle of South Kensington. Both the museum and the garden are free to enter.
St Dunstan in the East
Created by Christopher Wren, this bomb-damaged church is one of London’s most beautiful secret gardens. Destroyed during the Blitz, the ruins are shrouded in greenery, creating a quiet and atmospheric space, just minutes from the Tower of London.
