Leaf it to London - How the City is Growing Green in Unexpected Places
By Anli Ren (10/26/25) — London, UK
It's hard to believe there is a garden floating in the canal right in the heart of Kings Cross, but between glass offices and constant bustle is this little boat, covered in flowers and herbs that feels like it belongs to another world.
The Floating Garden, London’s canal-based community garden, is one of the city’s most unique urban projects. The garden floats, anchored to the canal, growing wildflowers, herbs, and a huge range of plants. The project is run by Global Generation, a charity that has been transforming small areas of the city into green spaces for nearly twenty years.
Greenery on London’s floating garden
It began as part of the King’s Cross redevelopment plan back in 2020, which required a community and educational project for the area’s growth. Global Generation saw an opportunity to bring sustainability to the water. “We wanted to create something mobile, something alive,” said Laura, the boats coordinator. In doing so, the project bridged an important connection between business and sustainability, and it proved that urban development doesn’t have to come at the cost of green spaces and can actually nurture them.
She tells the story of how this project all started: “We actually started with a boat that used to be a floating cinema,” she said, “We just wanted to turn it into this green, living space, part garden, part community hub.” And a couple of years later, her vision is exactly what the boat has become. It now functions as a community space, somewhere Londoners come to reconnect with nature and each other. The garden hosts everything from poetry readings and workshops to regular events like “Art Night on the Water,” every second Thursday. It even participates in larger canal events, such as rooftop live music and the Canal Festival.
People in action at twilight gardening session
However, maintaining a garden on a steel boat presents its own set of challenges. “Boats rust, they leak, and sometimes random people just climb on board because they’re curious,” Laura laughs, but she knows the work is worth it. “You can’t control everything out here. But that’s kind of the beauty of it”
I had the opportunity to join their Twilight Gardening sessions, a community program run by Global Generation on the first Thursday of every month. These are free evenings open to anyone curious about plants and who wants to help tend them as the sun sets.
I showed up in the evening and found myself surrounded by a small group of people of all ages and backgrounds, and together we learned how to plant and care for herbs on the floating garden barge.
It was amidst the sounds of chatter, laughter, and people nibbling on free refreshments that I finally understood why Laura truly loves what she does.
The garden creates an infectious energy, fostering a sense of community that calms everyone, offering a stark contrast to London's usual bustle. Laura captures it perfectly, saying, “There’s something about being on water that makes people slow down,”. She hopes each session offers people a pause from the rush of their usual lives. For Laura, this message is the heartbeat of the garden.
Standing there, it was impossible not to slow down myself. It reminded me how rare and necessary it is to find stillness in the middle of everyday life.
