Gardens in Wanstead will open to the public this spring, inviting visitors to explore hidden plots, wildlife havens and tiny terraces while raising funds for charity. Volunteer organiser Teresa Farnham reports
As I write this, the rain seems to have thankfully stopped, for a while at least. Hopefully, visitors can look forward to visiting the local gardens open under the National Garden Scheme (NGS) in sunny and warm weather this spring and summer.
Last year, Wanstead gardens raised the magnificent sum of £1,000 in just four hours to add to the record sum of £10,000 raised from 12 NGS garden openings in our area. So, thank you to all who came to peek into our gardens, drink tea and eat delicious cakes.
The London gardens taking part in this year’s open gardens range in size from my own tiny 15-foot square to College Gardens’ wonderful two-thirds of an acre spectacle. Content ranges from a haven for wildlife and residents (the Forest Gate Community Garden) to the Latimer Road plant collectors’ garden.
Wanstead gardens will be open on 31 May, including the area behind the GP surgery on Wanstead Place. One of the Wanstead Community Gardeners has dedicated her time (and back!) to lift over 50 paving slabs to provide a garden sanctuary for the doctors and their patients. Other gardens taking part include 17 Greenstone Mews, which is planted with evergreen-clothed fences with a raised bed and border of perennials, vegetables and fruit, and 32 Voluntary Place, a newly designed, one-year-old garden, already showcasing exuberantly planted, low-maintenance flower beds alongside a generous entertaining space.
NGS gardens are all different, and in nearly 30 years of volunteering for the NGS, I have never seen two alike! Most openings provide tea, delicious cakes and plants for sale. The result of a visit is to see how people interpret what they want from a garden: useful to glean new ideas, whether you have a new or established garden. I am always happy to look at new gardens, and garden owners are always happy to talk to potential openers.
Some gardens are available by arrangement because of access. The garden at 28A Worcester Road, Walthamstow is worth a visit with friends if you book an appointment. The owner has transformed a typical London terraced back garden into a lush tropical oasis.
The NGS London booklet is available from local libraries, Daisy Florist on the High Street and local garden centres. Garden descriptions, addresses and directions are also available online. Please support the NGS this year, as your garden visits change lives, providing critical support to nursing and health charities such as MacMillan Cancer Support, Parkinson’s UK and Hospice UK. Nationally, £3,875,596 was raised in 2025.
Wanstead gardens will be open on 31 May from 2pm to 5pm (tickets: £5). For more information, visit wnstd.com/ngs26
To contact Teresa for more information, email teresa.farnham@yahoo.co.uk
