Roots and shoots
If you are in need of a Christmas tree, and would also like to support a good horticultural cause, go to Roots And Shoots at Walnut Tree Walk, off Kennington Road, in Lambeth. This wildlife garden was founded some 20 years ago, on the site of an old factory.
With the help of botanists and gardeners, nature has reasserted itself to such an extent that it now teems with insects, inlcuding rare species of cricket. David Perkins, the wildlife outreach worker, lovingly points out ant hills, as well as beehives. In this small space, there are almost as many types of habitat as at the Eden Project. You can loiter beneath a spreading kiwi vine, or peer into a pond full of newts and frogs (at least you could have done in the summer). In one corner, guavas and pineapples are growing, in another scented herbs.
Roots And Shoots is not just a garden, though. It is also a training ground for young gardeners and woodworkers. They may not always have been much of a success in school but here they are acquiring the skills that will get them jobs. Now the organisers are launching a £1 million appeal for new buildings. That's a lot of Christmas trees!
Roots And Shoots Vauxhall Centre, Walnut Tree Walk, SE11 (020-7582 1800).
