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Getting lost in the labyrinthine concrete passages of the Barbican is a London rite of passage. The brutalist landmark is a bewildering maze of walkways and levels, which reveal unexpected spaces. And one of the biggest surprises tucked within its sprawling concrete angles is the city’s most unexpected green space: the Barbican Conservatory. Opened in 1984, it’s London’s second-largest greenhouse after Kew Gardens, home to 2,000 plant species, including towering palms, ferns, and tropical blooms.
Sadly, the urban oasis will soon be closing as part of a huge £240 million ‘Barbican Renewal’ plan. It means that the Conservatory, along with the main Barbican site, will shut until June 2029. But a silver lining is that you can take a piece of the old place with you, as thousands of plants propagated from the glasshouse are about to be given away to the public to prepare for the big renovations.
Fancy a plant from the Conservatory in your kitchen? From Wednesday 19 August, Londoners can choose from more than 2,000 plant cuttings from the Conservatory’s collection of temperate and arid plants. These include everything from giant-leafed monstera and glossy ficus to purple-and-green tradescantia.
Londoners can pick up the cuttings at various plant adoption events, which are being run in collaboration with plant reuse initiative Wayward Plants. Dr Philippa Simpson, Barbican Chief Operating Officer, says the plant cutting adoption programme will be ‘the beginning of something new, and as thousands of plants start putting down roots across London, we’ll be laying the foundations for a greener, more resilient and more welcoming Conservatory than ever before’.
The cuttings are from plants originally planted in the 1980s on the roof of the Barbican Theatre around its 100-foot flytower, before being moved to the multi-storey glasshouse and cared for by the Barbican horticultural team. At each event, visitors are also able to explore the space, learn about the collection and hear about future plans, as well as take a cutting to care for at home.
It’s all part of moves to empty the space before it is renovated by architects Allies and Morrison, engineers Buro Happold and landscape studio Harris Bugg Studio. The upgrade will replace ageing waterproofing, heating, glazing and irrigation systems initially installed 40 years ago. It will also improve step-free access, widen the paths, install a new lift (currently just 30 percent of the Conservatory is fully accessible), and make sure the space is able to open daily, instead of just a few times a month. A new planting scheme will also combine returning plants with carefully selected new specimens.
‘I’ve worked in the Conservatory for sixteen years and nurtured many of these plants from seedlings, so it means a lot to me and my team that so many will go on living in people’s homes,’ says Marta Lowcewicz, Barbican Head Gardener. ‘It hasn’t always been easy managing a space that wasn’t really designed around the needs of plants. That’s why I’m excited for what comes next – creating the best possible environment for the collection to thrive while opening it up for more people to enjoy.’
The plans to renovate the conservatory will also revitalise the Foyers and Lakeside Terrace. Work begins on the Conservatory in early 2027, with the main Barbican site shutting from June 2028 until June 2029. During this time, programming at the Centre will go beyond its walls with an intriguing-sounding season of performances, exhibitions and events happening across London from next year.
To grab a living piece of the Barbican to take for yourself, book a place on one of the plant adoption events. The first is being held on Wednesday 19 August, between 12noon and 5pm. Two further public events are planned for 13 September and 2 December. On 29 November, Young Barbican members will also be invited to adopt a plant.
After more stunning spaces to explore? Visit these stunning homes for free in Open House 2026.
In other renovation news: this neglected part of the Thames is set for a huge revival with 8,000 homes.
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