Even the gardening community has its secrets. One of those secrets is the curious practice of guerrilla gardening. Here’s what you should know about this plant-focused movement.
So, what is guerrilla gardening? Since the 70s, the term has referred to gardening in unauthorized areas. Often, guerrilla gardeners choose to cultivate plants in neglected or derelict spaces.
In “On Guerrilla Gardening: A Handbook for Gardening without Boundaries,” author and guerrilla gardener Richard Reynolds wrote: “I do not wait for permission to become a gardener but dig wherever I see horticultural potential. I do not just tend existing gardens but create them from neglected space. I, and thousands of people like me, step out from home to garden land we do not own. We see opportunities all around us.”
Is guerrilla gardening illegal?
Upon learning the definition of guerrilla gardening, most people’s first question is whether or not the practice is legal. The answer? No, guerrilla gardening is not legal in many U.S. communities. The Community Law Center explains why on its website.
“Guerrilla gardening can be an easy, low-cost way to beautify a neighborhood and to prevent negative consequences of vacant land, including illegal dumping and other crime. Guerrilla gardening is, however, by definition, against the law: a civil trespass against the land of the landowner.”
Guerrilla gardeners can face trespassing charges for planting in unauthorized spaces. However, this does not deter many people who engage in the practice. Some guerrilla gardening projects, like the Liz Christy Bowery Houston Garden in New York, have even gained approval from city officials (after much petitioning). Others, like Activist Adam Purple’s “Garden of Eden,” were eventually destroyed to make room for official projects.
Guerrilla gardening tools and terms
Not all guerrilla gardening is as involved as creating an established garden. For some, simply tossing seed bombs (balls of seed bound together with biodegradable materials) into a field qualifies as guerrilla gardening. Some gardeners also call guerrilla gardening “bewildering,” as it introduces wild plants to neglected areas.
Learn more about bewildering, seed bombs, and more on Reynolds’s guerrilla gardening website. Those fascinated by this phenomenon can also research guerrilla gardening groups in their community.