Greening Granby

Since 2006 the residents of Granby have been greening the streets, beginning with growing plants in and around derelict properties in Cairns Street and soon spreading to Jermyn Street, Beaconsfield and Ducie Street.  The planting done by residents who formed ‘That Bloomin’ Green Triangle’ has helped create one of the cleanest, greenest and award winning neighbourhoods in the city. As well as painting the facades of hundreds of boarded up houses we’ve grown honeysuckles, clematis, virginia creeper, herbs such as rosemary, thyme, mint and fennel, planted apple and pear trees, vegetables and decorated the corners with plants where once stood empty plots.

During this time we’ve inspired people from around the area, from Dirt Liverpool to Liverpool Biennial to rethink neighbourhoods through green initiatives. In 2018 the Liverpool Biennial worked with Kingsley Road Community School and Andrea Ku to host gardening clubs on Granby Street, to coincide with the Resilience Garden installation by international artist Mohamed Bourouissa.

In 2019 we opened the Winter Garden, with Andrea Ku being our first Gardener in Residence, taking the lead in designing and planting up our indoor garden. The Granby Winter Garden is a wonderful community resource, an arts and creative space as well as a peaceful, social meeting space.

‘That Bloomin’ Green Triangle’ members and residents continue to maintain and extend the streets’ plantlife, and is a great way to grow and interact with the neighbourhood.