Have you ever passed by a patch of barren, overgrown or otherwise neglected ground and thought, “Someone should plant a garden there?” Richard Reynolds not only did, he established and nurtured a garden at his housing block’s previously bleak site. And then he went one better, and founded a movement that has spread worldwide. He fervently believes that gardening should not be the exclusive province of those who own property or manage to score a coveted spot at the P-patch. Instead, he advocates taking over landscape installation and maintenance anywhere it is not already being done, or done well, in public and private spaces alike.
Despite his almost comically serious reliance on the language and “lessons” of actual guerrilla warfare (the book starts out with Che and Mao, shows a photo of seed “bombs” in the shape of a 9mm pistol, and gardeners can sign up at www.guerrillagardening.com to get a “troop number”), Reynolds aims to inspire beautification, so half the book is devoted to practical advice. He addresses the myriad issues an aspiring guerrilla gardener must face, from site selection to plant choice for hardiness and maximum visual impact, the non-availability of water, how to discourage vandalism, and, eventually, perhaps legitimize the established garden.
Of course, humans have been sneaking seeds and plants into spaces that are technically not their own for millennia – Reynolds just gave their actions a name and labeled it a cause.