Horticulture Jamming
- Posted by: Patrick James , JonathanWarren
- on May 25, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Londoners can relax: the newest subversives in their city are armed only with green thumbs. Cadres of illicit horticulturists, equipped with hoes and shovels, have been venturing into the night to plant guerrilla gardens—carefully landscaped areas in the small open spaces that cities build to beautify the landscape but then so often leave fallow. The movement, cultivated online by 30-year-old Richard Reynolds, an adman by day who moonlights as a renegade gardener, has spread throughout the United Kingdom, and guerrilla gardens have appeared as far away as Vancouver, Canada. Missions require reconnaissance, strategy, and stealthy gardening, and each successful planting strikes a blow for a more refined metropolitan aesthetic.
LEARN MORE guerillagardening.org
DISCUSSION: 5 Comments
Love the idea of planting food in abandoned lots; some cities do have such programs. Planting on municipal grounds without permission though would likely be unwelcome. A much more productive idea would be to partner with the municipal authority and establish a small plot on which food to be grown to supply a shelter or food bank. Costs may ultimately go down for the city who often have to feed the homeless or fund or supply the shelters, so this type of arrangement is a win-win for all concerned. Getting some troubled youth, homeless, or other target group as additional garden help teaches responsibility and skills they can use the rest of their lives. IT AIN’T EASY but it’s ultimately rewarding.
the last few apartments that i’ve lived in, i’ve spent lots of my own time and money to put in a nice garden … the last one i had in usa, i even tore up lots of concrete to put in rose bushes. my friends all thought i was crazy for wasting money on someone else’s property, but i really got into leaving the place prettier than i found it.
Would be nice if they started planting trees!
i completely support the idea of community-based horticulture, as well as the reclaimation of these forgotten gardens. but who will maintain these sites? it sounds like maintenance issues were what led to the problem in the first place.
Great stuff! I wonder if you have connected with Mark Shearer or Nick Gardner from project dirt(www.changents.com/earthkeepers)Seems like you would be able to support eachother’s projects. You both are inspiration for us on the other side of the pond.