Secret Soho Gardeners: Elizabeth & Sheila

We visit Elizabeth and Sheila’s community rooftop garden in Soho in the middle of spring, when the air is alive with scent and movement. Purple alliums sway in the breeze between pockets of erigeron and salvia, and fragrant roses tumble along walls.

The garden started over 15 years ago with little more than a tap, a bench and small amount of funding from the Soho Housing Association (SHA) community fund. Today, it’s a green retreat for residents above the busy Soho streets below. Walking through its corridors framed on all sides with tall trees and climbers, it would be easy to assume the garden is professionally maintained and funded by a generous planting budget. In fact, it’s the work of two neighbours, Elizabeth and Sheila, who have spent many seasons shaping the space together.

Elizabeth is a market trader dealing in vintage and antique furniture, and Sheila is an actress and florist trained by Jane Packer. Together, they tend the roof garden of St James Residences’ Island Block, one of the largest schemes run by the SHA in Central London. The SHA started in 1973 as a grassroots movement by members of the Soho Society, when they began to buy properties around Soho in a bid to prevent the loss of affordable residential accommodation.

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One of the first things we notice is the sweep of lush, green-leaved hostas, remarkably untouched by snails. “They do come in the with potted plants,” Sheila notes, “but we aren’t troubled by them.” Maybe the garden’s many visitors – robins, blackbirds, and even the occasional gold crest – keep the pests at bay. Sheila, a brilliant propagator and lover of hostas, has multiplied them generously to soften the edges of the planting. The gardeners’ tastes naturally align, and the resulting space is an intuitive collaboration that keeps the garden feeling personal but unfussy.

From now into summer is the season for deadheading, staking and keeping ahead of the weeds, but for much of the year the garden is delightfully low maintenance. “Last year I tried the Chelsea Chop,” Sheila says (a late-May pruning technique that aligns with the timing of the annual RHS Chelsea Flower Show). “I took two-thirds off the heleniums. I thought it would be a disaster, but they grew back stronger and flowered for longer. I’d not dared do it before!”

The garden is not without challenges, and both gardeners work hard to keep it in good shape. A damson tree shows signs of leaf curl (there’ll be no jam this year) and vine weevils are a persistent threat. But other inhabitants thrive; bees hum through the flowers, possibly visiting from hives on the Ham Yard Hotel’s nearby rooftop. Wind can be an issue, but a central chimney stack helps protect the more delicate plants. An unexpectedly thriving acer grows in a sheltered corner. “It shouldn’t work here,” says Elizabeth, “but it does.”

When it comes to new plants, the gardeners look to varied sources. Some are ordered in from specialist growers across the country, others picked up from local favourites Camden Garden Centre and Boma in Kentish Town. Some come with stories; Elizabeth grows a thriving Cerinthe from seeds given to her at Spitalfields Market. Sheila rescued a Cymbidium orchid (from a bin!) and coaxed it to survive outdoors all year.

After decades in Soho, both women reflect on how the area has changed. They remember the editing rooms, tailors, and food shops of old – Italian and Jewish delis, fishmongers, butchers. “Berwick Street was a riot of fruit and vegetables,” Elizabeth remembers. “I loved it, Soho was absolutely mad,” remarks Sheila.

So, what advice would they give to someone looking to start their own urban garden? “You’ve got to want to,” says Sheila. The success of this garden is proof of the beauty that can be cultivated with determination and hard work, and the gardeners encourage everyone to get going – but keep consistent. “And you need a water source, that’s essential,” adds Elizabeth. Their garden has a double tap; one for the irrigation system and another for the hose. They recommend fibreglass or metal beds (not wood, which doesn’t last), and above all, understanding your conditions. “The key is to pick plants for your space,” Elizabeth explains. “Think about whether it’s wet, windy, shady. That makes all the difference.”

We leave the garden with a hosta in hand – a small token from a garden built on conversation, carved out from the centre of Soho. Now, if we can just keep our hosta safe from snails…