Urban Guerrillas attack abandoned spaces

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If there’s one thing Richard Reynolds can’t stand, it’s wasted space. And if there’s one thing he loves, it’s gardening. Guerrilla gardening, dealing with the former by getting his hands dirty with the latter, has been Richard’s passion for a few years now.

From humble beginnings, surreptitiously poking plants into untended flower beds around his south London block of flats, Richard has persuaded more and more people to get involved. His website has become a hub through which guerrilla gardeners worldwide have hooked up, discussed, and arranged guerrilla gardening actions, or ‘digs’. Anything from roundabouts and roadside planters, to expanses of vacant land, are sitting targets for the gangs of guerrillas, who either pelt the land with seed bombs or come by at night for a full scale invasion.

Guerrilla gardening is about more than just slapping down a few plants and buggering off. The movement stems from anarchistic ideals about public space, and people’s rights to use the land as they please. I’m thinking Gerrard Winstanley’s Diggers rather than New Labour’s shopping mall politics here.

Buoyed by guerrilla gardening’s success so far, Richard hopes his new book will recruit even more participants. Framed by a history of the movement, whether you want to go it alone or get out with a group of friends, the book is crammed with tips and practical advice for novice guerrilla gardeners, and further inspiration for those already practicing.

You’ll never look at a patch of wasteland in the same way again…

‘On Guerrilla Gardening: A Handbook for Gardening Without Boundaries‘ by Richard Reynolds is out today.