BlogTipsEnlistCommunityLinks

Make a donationTroop DigsGetting Started
On Guerrilla Gardening A Handbook For Gardening Without Boundaries by Richard Reynolds
It is a sad sight to see healthy rooted Christmas trees (Picea abies) left discarded after Christmas, and with that mission in mind last January
here in London we tried to save three of them by re-home some on a traffic island. Barnaby 1423’s made it through the year (the roots of the others were too damaged to survive the dry spring) and so it was that this Christmas I experimented with recycling it again... by bringing it indoors. Never have I felt so nervous guerrilla gardening, as I did digging it up, “officer I planted this tree, it’s mine to dig up” just didn’t feel a good enough reason. Fortunately no The Christmas Tree during its temporary residence in Perronet House
here in London we tried to save three of them by re-home some on a traffic island. Barnaby 1423’s made it through the year (the roots of the others were too damaged to survive the dry spring) and so it was that this Christmas I experimented with recycling it again... by bringing it indoors. Never have I felt so nervous guerrilla gardening, as I did digging it up, “officer I planted this tree, it’s mine to dig up” just didn’t feel a good enough reason. Fortunately no The Christmas Tree with its original owner and enjoying being amongst the lavender fields in the summer
Salvage Rescue Mission
Guerrilla Gardening: 8 December Roserose 3604 draw our attention to a facade of healthy window boxes left on an office block in the City of London on the brink of demolition. Whilst a late night raid to save them was considered it was not needed. Andrew 1679 donned a hard hat and went in with some friendly workmen. Like lifeguards grabbing victims off a cliff face they dragged the plants off the ledge and filled the car with geranium (Perlagonium graveolens) and Persian ivy (Hedera colchica).
Cannon Street Salvage Rescue Mission for guerrilla gardening
Hollywood Eco Campaigner Surprise Visit Guerrilla Gardening: 30 November 2007
It is not every day that you get a phone call saying “Daryl Hannah is in town, she wants to call by and talk about guerrilla gardening”. An hour later she and a journalist were at my flat. Daryl is perhaps most famous for her 1984 role as a mermaid Tom Hanks falls for but I had heard that more recently she took the role of a guerrilla gardener, for real, fighting the authorities to save LA’s South Central Farm (sadly unsuccessful). I was keen to know more but for her brief visit she was in journalistic guise. She has a website which broadcasts short films of environmental stories. 
Hollywood star drops in for tea. Daryl Hannah at Perronet House, Elephant & Castle London
Click here to visit DHLoveLife.comThe local newspaper picked up on the story of the visit. Click here to download a pdf of the report.
Guerrilla Gardening: 27 November 2007 Location: Brixton Road SW9 London This patch was first attacked back in March when Charlie (2429) initiated the dig. A merry band gathered to help clear the muck and fill with lavender and annuals, and she had then added more at later occasions and kept weeds at bay... but Charlie has sadly left the city and this land was orphaned once more. From the top deck of a bus I noticed the decline and called for a new dig. Five of us, together with some brief help from passers by returned to weed, stuff full of Narcissi bulbs and mulch, and amongst the troops were new enthusiastic locals who were keen to adopt this land theirs.Bulb planting in Brixton
NEWS: London Guerrilla Gardens 
Three gardens in London have recently been awarded. Esther 418 and her young troops of Rowstock Gardens in north London won 1st prize in the Islington in Bloom Residential Category and Most Wildlife Friendly Entry as well as a Certificate of Excellence in the grand London in Bloom 2007 competition. This garden began as early morning guerrilla gardening and has since been legitimised.  South of the river two guerrillaSusan Hampshire, Richard Reynolds and David Bellamy
gardens on traffic islands were awarded in the Conservation Foundation’s London Green Corners event. Andrew 1679 and I went to Covent Garden to collect vouchers, a certificate and a shiny engraved trowel from the famously nature-loving David Bellamy, who stunned the audience by telling usEsther 418 with troops and awards
Adolf Hitler did wonders for the city’s wild flower population by creating numerous vacant lots that soon sprouted blooms. Most of these wild spaces have now gone, but it’s a reminder nature can fight back.
Guerrilla Gardening 15 November 2007 Budget £60.32. With a note in the Community area of this web site Katherine 3535 called for help on a  sorry patch on the housing estate where she lives. Dire straits was how you could describe the weedy bed that had as much builder’s sand in it as mud, and Dire Straits (the pop band) also once lived on this estate. I turned up toGuerrilla gardening on the Crossfield Estate
Comfort MissionThe day after
help bringing plants that would tolerate the shady position including Primula, Ajuga reptans ‘Burgundy Glow’, Vinca major (Periwinkle) and Narcissus ‘Jet Fire’, and five bags of manure to improve the desperately poor soil and Andrew 1679 brought along a couple of Cordyline australis.  More residents spotted us and with a slightly startled manner helped out with the offer of a watering can. This patch has great potential and there is still room for more plants.The Day Before
Project Nineteen: Lewisham Way, London SE4
Guerrilla Gardening: Monday 29 October 2007 Whilst local guerrillas have been occasionally tending this troublesome damp patch in New Cross new-comer Tim 3175 stepped up to lead a return attack filling a predominantly blank bed with a mix of bulbs
Guerrilla gardening in New Cross
Crocus, daffodils, hyacinth and snow drops are added to this roadside flower bed
Project Four: Perronet House shrubbery, London Road, London SE1
Guerrilla Gardening: 27 October The gradual transformation of the big shrubbery outside Perronet House continues day and night. Though our hold of this patch is increasingly strong it is still more peaceful time to plant wallflowers (Erysimum anon) at night.  Drizzle also keeps away trouble. Note also how Lyla 1046 demonstrates that an old shopping trolley is a great wheel barrow substitute, particularly well suited to mass transit in a hard urban landscape.Lyla 1046 guerrilla gardening outside Perronet House in London Road
A nibble trio of Andrew 1679, Lyla 1046 and I gathered to plant a ring of golden daffodils (Narcissus ‘Carlton’) to replace the towering sunflowers (Helianthus annus).  This simple
mission was briefly interrupted by two police officers suspicious that we were stealing plants. Fortunately no one was shot.
Police come to inspect the guerrilla gardening
Guerrilla Gardening Haberdashery. With sales going well we put our back into processing the rest of our lavender harvest.  Twigs are dried are my garage floor before being shaken out and left on sheets and then stitched and stuffed into fragrant pillows.
 We took the Cuban “Day Of The Heroic Guerrilla” as an excuse to get out planting the first bulbs of the season, red tulips “Apeldoorn” and “Ile de France”, black tulips “Cafe Noir” and “Black Hero” and giant Allium “Mars” to add them to last year’s early flowering tulips “Red Emperor.” The sunflowers are still in full bloom but the rate of littered cans and bottles has increased since our last visit.
Guerrilla Gardening Haberdashery 6 October 2007. The GuerrillaGardening.org Haberdashery Division met for their first session of London Lavender Pillow production. Twelve metres of screen printed black Irish linen were cut, stiched and stuffed as we began production of 200 aromatic pillows from our illicitly grown harvest. You can buy them by clicking on the ad at the top, profits go towards our missions.Lyla, Tracey and France making the London Lavender Pillows
Back in spring, whilst out tending the guerrilla shrubbery below Perronet House, my tower block home, during day light hours, some local children playing in the street took an interest. What was I doing?  Planting some giant yellow flowers I explained. Yet these flowers were invisible to them. With a little explanation they got the idea and I gave them each sunflower seeds which they excitedly prodded into the ground. Since May theseMichael, Jordan, Stefan, Johan and Hope, the Guerrilla Gardening Youth, with their towering sunflowers outside Perronet House
Guerrilla Gardening Youth have been patiently waiting for the triumphant flowering and here they are with their towering sunflowers.  Our mission at this particular location as guerrillas seems almost complete since the council have recently posted a letter to all residents of the tower saying they support my gardening, and if there is no objection will allow me to continue. More news to follow about this imminent truce. Hurrah!

For blogs earlier in the year clickFor blogs earlier in the year click here