Guerrilla gardening: Q&A

Find out more about freestyle gardening on unused land. By Kitty Corrigan

What is guerrilla gardening?
Reclaiming waste land without permission. Gardening is usually done in secret and at night.

Where did it start?
The term was coined in 1973 in New York, when a derelict plot of land was cultivated. In the UK, some patches that were ‘liberated' have grown into community gardens.

 

What is the weapon of war?
Seed bombs, made of moulded clay, soil and seeds. Which areas are targeted? Roundabouts, railway embankments, golf courses, car parks, roadside verges.

 

Who does it?
Even the most responsible citizens are joining in. Margaret, from
Devon, took pity on a disused graveyard: "I started sneaking around cutting back the ivy. The bolder I got, the more the local people praised what I was doing, so I set up a community group to fight it full on. Then
the graveyard was included in an English Heritage Open Day."

 

 

How can I join?
Read 'On Guerrilla Gardening' (Bloomsbury, £14.99) by Richard Reynold, and have your trowel at the ready!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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