Balsall Heath Community Garden Centre

Wandering around the Ladypool Road one afternoon — as you do — I stumbled upon this place, and loved it immediately. It’s a little green oasis, snug between St. Paul’s Road and Ladypool Road, where the emphasis is on community, and domestic plants. What a great combination. It’s also the home of the Balsall Heath Forum, I later discovered. It’s quite a spacious patch of land, with greenhouses and plant displays surrounding a wide walkway where the good folk of the Forum no doubt stroll around, discussing all things Balsall Heath.
It’s lovely to happen upon a welcoming colourful spot like this in the middle of a built up urban area. The only reminders that you’re not in Kansas anymore are the frequent CCTV warnings all over the displays. I’m not sure that Balsall Heath’s hardened criminals are planning on running off with armfuls of gerberas, but at least tey know the consequences if they do…