Merton Garden Streets

06/07/2026

We went to the Crafting the Wandle exhibition at Canon's house today. It was incredible and I highly recommend you go. You can see lots of different types of art, the work of local artists - some focus on widlife, some on litter and there are also lots of very beautiful paintings of our local river. 💚 Thanks to Sustainable Merton, Merton College and everyone involved!

https://www.sustainablemerton.org/events-1/crafting-the-wandle-exhibition-30-june-25-july

03/07/2026

Last weekend, 91 streets across Merton took part in our second Community Planting Weekend of the year! Local residents planted over 1,500 plants into tree pits, verges, and front gardens, helping to make our neighbourhoods greener, more biodiverse, and more connected. 🌻
If you’d like to get involved, there’s still time to register your street as a Merton Garden Street and take part in our final planting weekend on 19–20 September where your street will receive a small selection of pollinator-friendly plants, spring bulbs and a bag of compost to help you get started. 🐞
www.bit.ly/mertongardenstreets2026

25/06/2026

In Merton. Same street. Same day. Almost a 20°C difference.

The planted verge in this photo measured around 20°C, while the nearby unplanted surface was just over 40°C.

This is what trees, shrubs and street planting do. They provide shade, cool the air, reduce heat stored in hard surfaces, and make our streets more comfortable for everyone.

As heatwaves become more common, Merton Garden Streets isn't just about making streets look nicer. It's about creating cooler, healthier and more resilient neighbourhoods.

Thank you for all you do and sharing the photos with us again, Syebvonne Nguyen!

24/06/2026

Just a quick heads-up that all of our seed libraries will be taking a summer break from around 18 July until 2 September. ☀️

We've had a really busy spring and are running pretty low on stock, so we're going to use the summer to focus on saving and processing seeds ready for next season. We also want to give our amazing seed library volunteers a bit of a break after all their hard work.
It's not the best time of year for sowing most seeds anyway, so it feels like a good point to pause and get everything ready for autumn.

We look forward to reopening the libraries in September with replenished stocks. 🌻
If you're saving seeds from your garden/ allotment or street this summer please consider donating them to the seed libraries. For bulk donations please pm me.
Thanks for your support! 💚

23/06/2026

📢 Seed Saving Workshop Rescheduled: New date is Tuesday 7 July at 7pm.
We're hosting a free, beginner-friendly online workshop introducing the basics of seed saving on Tuesday 7 July at 7pm. You'll learn the basics of saving seeds and discover just how easy and rewarding it can be. Please help us spread the word and invite anyone who might be interested. 🌻
Register here by clicking the link below!

Join us for this beginner-friendly online webinar to learn the basics of seed saving.

18/06/2026

🌱 Did you know? 🌱

At Merton Garden Streets, growing plants isn't just about making our own streets greener—it's about helping the whole community bloom.

Every year, our volunteers propagate thousands of flowers. We often have more plants than we can use ourselves. Rather than let them go to waste, we're delighted to share them with local community groups, schools, and neighbourhood projects that are working to create greener, more welcoming spaces.

This year, we're proud to support fantastic local initiatives such as the newly established Meopham Road Pocket Park and Merton Memory Hub. These partnerships help bring colour, biodiversity, and wildlife-friendly planting to communities across the area, while also encouraging people of all ages to get involved in gardening. 🌼🐝🌿

Thank you to Merton Councilcil for supporting the work we do.

🌱💚

16/06/2026

🌱 Plant rescue is a big part of what we do.
We give unwanted plants a second chance, collecting them from local gardens and parks, events, and sometimes even garden centres. Instead of going to waste, these plants find new homes on Merton's streets and in front gardens where they can continue to thrive.

A huge thank you to Wayward for the incredible plants donated after the Chelsea Flower Show. It's wonderful to see these plants continue their journey rather than go to waste.

Every rescued plant helps reduce waste, supports biodiversity, and brings more greenery into our community. 🌻

13/06/2026

Our Seed Libraries are running very low on stock, and we need everyone's help to replenish them! 💚

To get the whole borough seed saving (we're not ambitious at all...), we're hosting a free beginner-friendly online workshop on Thursday 9 July at 7pm. You'll learn the basics of saving seeds and discover just how easy and rewarding it can be.

Find out more and register here: https://www.sustainablemerton.org/events-1/introduction-to-seed-saving-online
If you have seeds to donate please pm us on Facebook or contact [email protected] 🌻

Join us for this beginner-friendly online webinar to learn the basics of seed saving.

05/06/2026

26/05/2026

🌱💚🌻🐞 This month, 86 streets across Merton took part in our first Community Planting Weekend of the year!

Together, local residents planted over 1,300 plants into tree pits, verges, and front gardens, helping to make our neighbourhoods greener, more biodiverse, and more connected.

Why not register your street to become a Merton Garden Street this year and join one of our upcoming planting weekends?

📅 27–28 June
📅 19–20 September

Register here: https://bit.ly/mertongardenstreets2026
Thank you Merton Council for your continued support through the Merton's Investing in Neighbourhoods and Community Climate Action Funds. 🙏