Around Town

Open Garden Squares Weekend is your chance to discover 190 new outdoor spaces in the capital – whether it’s for a lunch-hour escape or a nice tranquil spot for a picnic – as, over two days, gardens, lawns and squares all over London throw open their gates to the public. There are two ways to explore: strike out on your own on one of the routes you can find on www.opensquares.org or set off with a guide on an organised stroll in Bloomsbury or the City. (Cyclists can congregate in Marylebone for a bike tour.) See below for a few of the weekend’s horticultural highlights.
Open Garden Squares Weekend runs Sat June 13-Sun June 14 (8347 3230/www.opensquares.org). £8; adv £6.75; free under-12s. One ticket allows entry to all participating gardens.

King Henry’s Walk Garden, Islington
This community garden was transformed from a derelict site to a space where local residents grow vegetables and flowers using organic, sustainable methods. In the process it has become a magnet for wildlife, from robins to newts and pondskaters. It’s open both days over the weekend but at Saturday’s summer fête there’ll be a festive family feel, with traditional games including a coconut shy and duck dipping, plus a treasure hunt, ice-creams, back massages and woodland walks.
King Henry’s Walk Garden, 11c King Henry’s Walk, N1 4NX (7923 9035/www.khwgarden.org.uk). Canonbury or Dalston Kingsland rail or 30, 38, 56, 277 bus.
Nearby Fill up on dim sum at Shanghai, a fantastically tiled former pie and mash shop. Alternatively, take a 20-minute stroll to the Estorick Collection, a small gallery with an impressive collection of Italian futurist art whose outdoor café is part of Open Garden Squares Weekend.
Shanghai, 41 Kingsland High St (7254 2878). Dalston Kingsland rail.
Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, 39a Canonbury Square, N1 2AN (7704 9522/www.estorickcollection.com). Highbury & Islington tube.
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Creekside Education Trust, Deptford
A rare chance to pull on some wellies, wade into Deptford Creek – a tidal tributary of the Thames – and sift the mud for creatures such as freshwater shrimps. It’s first come, first served for these low-tide river dipping sessions at 11.30am and 12.30pm, but there’s also an exhibition of artwork created from objects found in the creek, plus bug hunts, wildflower trails and a barbecue.
Creekside Education Trust, 14 Creekside, SE8 4SA (8692 9922/www.creeksidecentre.org.uk). Deptford rail.
Nearby Further along Creekside, the stunning Laban centre for contemporary dance merits a look for its striking architecture, and there’s a convenient café, too. Or make a day of it with our Deptford walk.
Laban, Creekside, SE8 8DZ (8691 8600/www.laban.org). Deptford rail.

Emery Walker’s House, Hammersmith
Printer Emery Walker was instrumental in setting up organisations which supported the Arts and Crafts movement, and the interior of his home has been remarkably well preserved in the style, with furniture, wallpaper, ornaments and even spectacles belonging to William Morris, who was a friend of Walker’s. The garden, overlooking the river, is also laid out in the way it was during the owner’s lifetime, with fragrant jasmine, roses and wisteria. Visitors will also be able to view Walker’s dining room and conservatory.
Emery Walker’s House, 7 Hammersmith Terrace, W6 9TS (www.emerywalker.org.uk). Stamford Brook tube.
Nearby The basement of Kelmscott House, the headquarters of the William Morris Society and Morris’s residence from 1878 to 1896, houses a small museum with displays of artwork and textiles and a printing press, which is open on Thursday and Saturday afternoons. On Sunday June 14, local enviro-gathering Greenfest could make a pleasant diversion.
William Morris Society, 26 Upper Mall, W6 9TA (8741 3735/www.morrissociety.org). Ravenscourt Park tube.
Greenfest, Furnivall Gardens, Rutland Grove, W6 9DH (www.greenfest.org.uk). Ravenscourt Park tube.

MaRoCoCo Garden, Belgravia
The Moroccan-style courtyard behind luxury chocolatier Rococo is strewn with aromatic lavender, geranium, mint and a coffee plant. Naturally the chocolates should be sampled – keep with the floral theme by trying a violet or rose-infused bar of the sweet stuff.
Rococo Chocolates, 5 Motcomb St, SW1X 8JU (7245 0993/ http://rococochocolates.com). Knightsbridge tube.
Nearby Some light exercise is in order to take the edge off that sugar rush, so rent a pedalo on the Serpentine.
Serpentine, Hyde Park , W2 3XA (www.royalparks.org.uk). Knightsbridge tube.

India Landscape, Bloomsbury
Banyan, betel nut, holy basil and bamboo all crop up in the British Museum’s temporary forecourt garden planted to reflect the different climates on the Indian subcontinent.
British Museum, 44 Great Russell St, WC1B 3DG (7323 8000/www.britishmuseum.org). Tottenham Court Rd or Russell Square tube.
Nearby Take in the British Museum’s psychedelically hued ‘Garden and Cosmos’ exhibition, before grabbing a bite at Abeno, which specialises in okonomiyake – a filled Japanese pancake cooked on a sizzling hotplate at your table.
Abeno, 47 Museum St, WC1A 1LY (7405 3211/www.abeno.co.uk). Tottenham Court Rd or Holborn tube.

St Mary’s Secret Garden, Shoreditch
Just off Kingsland Road is this tucked-away horticultural project comprising food-growing, woodland, herb and sensory areas, which among other things are used to provide therapeutic gardening sessions for people with mental health issues and terminal illnesses. This weekend they’ll be welcoming visitors with the chance to buy locally grown plants and veg, as well as teas and homemade cakes.
St Mary’s Secret Garden, 50 Pearson St, E2 8EL (7739 2965/www.stmaryssecretgarden.org.uk). Old St tube or Liverpool St tube/rail then 55, 149, 242, 243 bus.
Nearby The Geffrye Museum and its displays of English interiors are a short skip away. ‘Ethelburga Tower’, Mark Cowper’s photographs of his neighbours in their Battersea high-rise, is the museum’s current exhibition.
Geffrye Museum, Kingsland Rd, E2 8EA (7739 9893/www.geffrye-museum.org.uk). Old St tube or Liverpool St tube/rail then 55, 149, 242, 243 bus.