Guerilla Gardening.

(The planting up of empty or neglected space with veg and flowers without permission.)

There was a group at university who were into this - planting out bedding and sowing seeds in neglected municipal street tubs and planters. More often than not residents and shopkeepers would often take over the care and watering.

Anywaaaaay, running around my own fairly genteel London neighbourhood this afternoon I returned via a different route and came across a patch of veg planted in the middle of an island bed in a quiet side road. BRILLIANT!

I'll be going back in a bit to take some photos.

 

Our local authority maintain all the beds on central reservations on dual carriageways, roundabouts, small open areas, hanging baskets in town centres and huge roadside planters extremely well, it must cost a fortune in time and annuals. No space left for "guerilla gardening."

I only wish they paid such attention to the naffin' potholes in the roads next to them.

 

And what about our 'Big Society'?

We should all be out volunteering to plant sage and rosemary in street tubs.

 

The idea is good, but I find the name "guerrilla gardening" despicable. There are enough guerrillas in the world.

 

Despicable?! A bit harsh and OTT, no?

These are gardeners, not armed insurgents!

 

What a brilliant set of links! Thanks MF! :thmb:

The G-G website is aces! Ive just watched the video filmed in Sweden this May featuring the sunflowers. Interesting to read that the Swedes have a patchy history of volunteering because of their reliance/ expectations of the state.

We've got heavy London clay here and so I shall be making a few seed 'bombs' this autumn.


Miraflores- have a look at their site- on the front page you'll see them planting up a Gold Medal winning show garden at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show. (As it happens I didnt actually like that one with pansies ans smashed concrete slabs.)

 

OK Ive just jogged up to take a photo while there is still some light out.

I was appropriately dressed- very baggy jeans, trainers and hoodie!
That said the jeans weren't so low that my pants were on show and the hood of the hoodie wasnt up!


The 'plot' had just been watered. I spotted spinach, squashes, beetroot, petunias and nasturtiums.





There were two women standing in their front gardens having a chat and watching me taking the photos. I waved and asked who the gardeners were! They didnt seem to know there was veg planted in the space but had noticed folk from the house opposite 'doing something' and watering the plants.

One called her husband out as he 'knew about plants' and it turns out he'd also been watering the plants! And his wife didnt know! :lollol:
Slightly bizarre that she should notice her neighbour's habits before noticing those of her husband!

 

Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) was a Guerilla gardener of sorts wasn't she? Didn't she walk around formal gardens secretly scattering seeds to remove the formality?

Steve...

 

There's a fair amount of gorilla gardening in my neck of the woods ...

 

CL, it always sounds well fun round yours!

Are you gardening in a urban area too?

 

http://vimeo.com/5344484

And now the real stuff

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h7AGL51Nms"]YouTube- Gorilla Gardening[/nomedia]