This is Richard Reynold’s original guerrilla garden. It’s not actually his, it belongs to the tower block he lives in. Richard cleared it of dead plants, litter and rubbish in 2004, replanted it, and has been looking after it ever since.
It is just 2×2 metres - even smaller than the Penelope Bennett’s window-box allotment (the subject of the first BSGL podcast), yet for Richard it was the first step on a journey which would see him developing neglected land all over London, cultivating a forum for other guerrilla gardeners around the world, now several thousand strong, and being invited to create a garden for this year’s Hampton Court Flower Show.
I met up with Richard for a pot of tea in his flat above this little patch to find out more. He started off by telling me how he became a guerrilla gardener.
Or click here to listen in a new window
Richard’s book, On Guerrilla Gardening: A Handbook For Gardening Without Boundaries is excellent – I highly recommend it if you would like to know more about the movement.
Richard’s website has a forum where guerrilla gardening events are plotted and co-ordinated.
And check out the blog of his Recycled Garden, built for the 2008 Hampton Court Flower Show.
The Big Smoke, Green Living Podcast Map!
Finally, there is an article I wrote about guerrilla gardening in issue 57 (current issue at time of writing) of Permaculture Magazine.
Notes on green living from the country kitchen of a first-floor flat in London, UK.
Fabulous :)
Thanks for another fascinating, and informative, entry which I enjoyed along with a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits.
That’s another book for my list, and Richard’s website will be added to my Plot People list. xx
I’m a big fan of Richard’s and am a country based guerilla gardener. Great post Rach.
Richard spoke about a couple of run ins with the police in the interview. Click here for a video from the Guardian online which shows that in some cases, the police are not so willing to just let the guerrilla gardeners get on with it.
Excellent continued work Rach – spent a few mins killing time at work by browsing the antics of the guerilla gardeners.
Have you been on any missions with them yet, I hope you will soon!!!
I’ll be on the lookout for a campaign option around here! roundabouts etc!!!
If only he’d blown up the wall first!
Lucy
And here’s a lovely video on making seed bombs for those hard to reach spots.
Yep, I’ve read about the guerilla gardeners. More power to them!
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