Hot on the heels of the Chelsea Flower Show, the first week of June sees the arrival of the second biggest event in the calendar for London’s flower fanatics.
Open Gardens London is back this weekend, offering dedicated horticulturists, amateur botanists and other admirers of a colourful wall trellis or an artfully deployed water feature the chance to have a peek at whole bunch of fabulous gardens across the city, the vast majority of which are not usually open to the public.
A £26 weekend ticket grants visitors access to over 120 venues around London, from floating oases and rooftop hideaways to sculpture gardens and historic plots. But there’s only so much time to snoop around, so before you go trekking round the capital in search of blooms, have a look at our roundup of eight brilliant gardens that are definitely worth taking a look at.
The 8 best gardens to visit during Open Gardens 2026
The Sanctuary Garden at Freedom from Torture, Islington
The Sanctuary Garden earned a silver medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2024. After that, it was relocated to Freedom from Torture’s London Therapy Centre in Finsbury Park and for most of the year, it functions as a place where survivors of torture can find calm and partake in horticultural therapy. Willow structures curve and sweep around the space, and plants like figs, nigella seeds, chickpeas, pomegranate and a strawberry tree have been installed to evoke happier memories of home. For Open Gardens, experts will be on hand to highlight the garden’s award-winning features and importance as a healing environment.
111 Isledon Road, N7 7JW. Sat Jun 6, 9.30am-6pm.
Ham Yard Hotel Roof Garden, Bloomsbury
Normally reserved for guests, Ham Yard Hotel’s fourth-floor roof garden has been flourishing for the last ten years. Along the terrace, you’ll find two ancient olive trees, a parade of apple and pear espaliers, seasonal blooms like lemon verbena and jasmine, a beehive (producing the honey used in the hotel’s cocktails) and raised beds nurturing herbs and vegetables. To boot, you get glorious views over the central London skyline.
1 Ham Yard, W1D 7DT. Sun Jun 7, 10am-5pm.
Wilton Crescent Garden, Belgravia
Forget twee garden gnomes or mossy concrete bird baths. At its best, outdoor sculpture can transform a space, as this small curved garden beautifully demonstrates. Geometric sculptures by Conrad Shawcross shelter under the cathedral-like splendour of traditional London plane trees, bringing abstract flair to this rarified patch of Belgravia.
Wilton Crescent, SW1X 8RX. Sat Jun 6, 10am-4.30pm.
Mona’s Garden, Marylebone
Watching Lord of the Rings isn’t the only way to transport yourself to the wild landscapes of New Zealand. The London Gardens Society chose this passion project as the city’s best back garden, praising its exacting recreation of growing conditions from half a world away. Its owner and head gardener Mona transported 300 tons of soil and gravel to this patch of north London to create her masterpiece, teeming with hardy, richly sculptural plants.
33 Wood Vale N10 3DJ. Sat Jun 6, 10.30am-3.30pm and Sun Jun 7, 11am-3pm.
The Ismaili Centre Roof Garden, South Kensington
A small, elegant fountain and slim channels of water split the Ismaili Centre’s garden (a chahar-bagh) into four equal sections to represent the four rivers of Paradise mentioned in the Qur’an. It’s far more pared back than most of the other gardens you’ll come across over the weekend but gorgeous in its simplicity and spirituality. There’ll be refreshments, workshops and performances by musicians from the Ismaili Community to enjoy.
1-7 Cromwell Gardens, SW7 2SL. Sun Jun 7, 10am-3.30pm (last entry 3pm).
Fasset Square, Hackney
Legend goes, this little quad between Dalston and Hackney was the template for EastEnders’ Albert Square. Surrounded by Victorian houses and lined with original paths from the 1860s, Fasset Square garden is now lovingly maintained by residents, who are also known to use it for weddings, bonfire nights and Easter egg hunts. They’ll be welcoming the public with open arms for Open Gardens, inviting people to bring their own picnics and tuck into a selection of homemade cakes.
Fasset Square, Hackney, E8 1BF. Sun June 7, 10am-5pm.
The Floating Garden, Regent’s Canal
For a garden that’ll really float your boat, check out a new entrant to Open Gardens this year. The Floating Garden is a wide beam barge that’s been transformed into a green oasis of edible plants on Regent’s Canal. It’s a small space so you might have to queue to get on, but your reward will come in the form of an art exhibition and film screening aboard the barge, plus a herbal tea blending workshop so you can drink in its flavours once you get home.
Regent’s Canal, N1C 4UR. Sat Jun 6, 1pm-6pm.
Kelmscott House, Hammersmith
According to the late William Morris, the garden at Kelmscott House is ‘certainly the prettiest in London’. He would say that, though – it was his garden for the final 18 years of his life. But you can be the judge. This is the only time of the year that visitors have access to Kelmscott’s main garden. Decorating the grounds are several species that feature on Morris’s patterns. This time of year, you’ll spot roses, philadelphus, honeysuckle and ferns. There’ll be refreshments available and special printing press demonstrations going on to mark the occasion.
26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, W6 9TA. Sun June 7, 10am-4pm.
💐 Looking for even more fabulous foliage? Check out our favourite hidden gardens in London.
ICYMI: And this Grade II-listed palace in south London is being converted into flats.
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