Fight the filth with forks and flowers

Whilst this may not be the motto of many Gabriel Ash greenhouse owners, it is the mantra of one passionate grower from the UK who wants to see some beauty and greenery in our neglected streets.  Guerrilla gardener, Richard Reynolds, uses his creative gardening skills to transform the barren tarmac and concrete of inner cities around the world into mini oases of lushness.

Richard has created mini gardens in London, Italy, Austria and Sweden, taking the opportunity to fill all kinds of potholes and pavement cracks with beautiful flowers and mini bushes. 

He is the author of a book ‘On Guerrilla Gardening’, the book’s on all the social media, with videos available on http://www.youtube.com/theguerrillagardener, and is published in a host of national and international magazines.  He is also a speaker atgalleries, clubs, community groups, schools, businesses, conferences, festivals and community events.

The publicity since he started his blog of illicit cultivation around London in 2004 has led to a growing army of supporters around the world and over 15,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook.

His passion for gardening without boundaries and his website of stories and photos from around the world have inspired many others to continue the work in their towns and villages. 

Richard’s website is http://www.guerrillagardening.org/index.html.

Like Richard, the ‘Pothole Gardener’, adorns any dips or depressions in the streets of East London with miniature gardens.  Inspired originally by a school group in the USA who started pothole gardening four years ago, this unnamed street hero came up with the project as part of his university course and it ‘grew’ from there.

Part art project, part labour of love, part experiment, part mission to highlight the state of our roads, the Pothole Gardener aims to put smiles on people’s faces – and alert them to potholes.  His low gardens are only constructed on very quiet streets, dead end lanes and footpaths.

You can find out more about him at http://www.potholegardens.org/Home.html

Can you think of any unloved land around your home or town or do you know of any would-be guerrilla gardeners who may like to restore it?

Guerrilla gardeners aim to get their plants as cheaply as possible and sympathetic garden centres have been known to willingly donate them.

So if you have any spare pansies or primulas this winter, take them to the streets.