Urban Ecological Subversion: The Art of Guerilla Gardening in Public Spaces

Guerilla Gardening - Subverting Urban Ecologies

Have you ever wondered why so much public space seems to go to waste? Even apparently ‘natural’ green areas are carefully cultivated, requiring time, energy and water. However, these only produce a return if people are sitting, interacting, or playing on them. A great deal of urban green space is never used for these purposes. However, such spaces can be (and many are) subverted through guerilla gardening: the act of seeding useful plants in public spaces.

People Actively Guerilla Gardening
Guerilla gardening, like many forms of guerilla action or communication, is not typically legal unless it is overtly sanctioned by a city. Some guerilla gardeners have been questioned by the authorities, suspected of vandalism or even accused of terrorist activity.

Guerilla Gardening at Night

Technically, guerilla gardening is a kind of graffiti or vandalism - just done with plants instead of spray cans. However, the kind of guerilla marketing addressed here, though illegal, rarely gets people into trouble. Other higher-profile types such as moss graffiti and mayday actions have caused conflicts with the law.

Guerilla Gardening Time Lapse
For more information on guerilla gardening, see the Wikipedia article on the subject. Also see related guerilla communication articles on unusually legal street art and cleaning urban surfaces as guerilla marketing. Have you done any guerilla gardening? Seen similar ideas in action? Feel free to share below!

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Posted by Urbanist August 21st, 2007
Environment, Guerilla Action, Urban, Urban Images
Comments: 38

Comments

Comment from Al Ebaster
Time: August 21, 2007, 4:43 pm

Never thought I’d hear the phrase “guerilla gardening,” but there it is, and it sounds pretty cool! I’d love to see a post about moss graffiti, maybe some examples?

Comment from Hummie
Time: August 21, 2007, 5:25 pm

Oh my goodness, guerilla gardening! Who would have thought! I love the concept! Would be a great activity for youth groups…whether about the town or for other church members.

Comment from verge limbo
Time: August 21, 2007, 8:38 pm

I love the “caged” sunflowers stretching to the grate image.
I’ve been Urban and guerilla gardening for the past few years and cover these topics on my blog as well. I really like your design, and have joined the blogroll that you have on your site. Excellent work.
I came via the ‘funhappytimegardening” blog in Riverside, Ca.

QV: guerillagardening.org

You are bookmarked

Comment from Latz
Time: August 22, 2007, 4:39 am

i can just see - the rage against the machine cover “Guerilla gardening” showing up any day now :D

Comment from Patrick Burt
Time: August 22, 2007, 7:49 am

This is actually really interesting. Like Al mentioned, I love the term they came up with to describe this phenomenon.

Comment from shyboy
Time: August 22, 2007, 8:12 am

Oh very good! i liket his concept!

Comment from zac
Time: August 22, 2007, 8:22 am

um did you not see, these ‘gardeners’ are terrorists! stop them from planting these beautiful benificial flowers before we all lose our freedom!

Comment from Exempt
Time: August 22, 2007, 8:35 am

Rock on, great cause, and a much better looking effect!

Comment from Anonymous
Time: August 22, 2007, 8:51 am

I like the idea… But how long do the plants survive? Are they checked to see if the soil is good for them, alkalinity, salt content… etc etc? Still an amazing idea :)

Comment from Ben Nash
Time: August 22, 2007, 9:14 am

Hey does anybody in San Francisco want to organize some events??? I’d love to collaborate on such a project. We have so much grey concrete, and the recent news about NY having a ton more trees than us made me mad. Any takers? bennash@gmail.com

Comment from dug
Time: August 22, 2007, 9:38 am

I started doing this years ago in NYC with ailanthus and salix (’tree of heaven’ and willows). I’ve always concentrated on planting trees, but herbaceous plants improve the environment too. I heard somewhere that there are more tires in the US than trees, so I made it a personal goal to plant at least two trees for every tire I’ve used in my lifetime. I’m past that goal now, but still planting. Breathe Free!!

Comment from Warren
Time: August 22, 2007, 9:44 am

This is going to catch on like crabgrass… kickass! Go go guerilla gardeners!

Comment from Niko
Time: August 22, 2007, 9:55 am

A unique application of guerilla gardening would be to plant loads of marijuana plants on government property in support of its legalization. The government would be in an embarrassing position of trying to control drug trade while weed is growing on the grounds of their own police stations, etc.

Comment from Rox Berry
Time: August 22, 2007, 10:31 am

If they keep labeling everyone a terrorist, what are we going to call the guy running into the crowded mall with dynamite wrapped around his waste?

Comment from Ugly City
Time: August 22, 2007, 11:31 am

Yeah but try that in Houston, the ugly city that is impossible to beautify. The lack of density means you have miles to cover between each building, which is currently, filled with thick weeds and unkempt grass that will be impossible to cleared. Not to mentioned the numerous empty rust buildings and broken shacks will overshawdow your nice little garden.

Comment from Tsuru
Time: August 22, 2007, 1:23 pm

We had a guerilla garden back in the early 80’s. We took over an overgrown abandoned lot, planted a huge garden, set up a volleyballl court and had weekly keggers/potlucks. We even called ourselves the Guerilla Garden Club. It lasted for about three years until a developer bought the space and built on it. Great fun and lots of great free food.

Comment from Tony
Time: August 22, 2007, 2:07 pm

lol when i think of guerilla gardening i think of someong growing cannabis out in a forest. to blend it in with the surrounding hahaha. this was false advertisement haha

Comment from Amber
Time: August 22, 2007, 3:45 pm

To the guy that labbeled these people ‘Terrorists’
Umm do they look like they have bombs strapped around them? NO.How do we know your not a terrorist in disguise

Comment from Heavy Petal
Time: August 22, 2007, 5:40 pm

Thanks for the link to my moss graffiti post. While my first attempt didn’t work so well, I’ll try again. After all, gardening is less about having a natural green thumb than being stubborn and persistent! Check out my Resistance is Fertile archives on more green subversiveness: http://www.heavypetal.ca/archives/resistance_is_fertile/
(Try making seed bombs - so fun, and so effective.)

Anonymous - not all guerillas check to make sure they’re using native plant/seeds, or that they will do well in their chosen location, but most do.

Comment from AgentSully
Time: August 22, 2007, 7:19 pm

I can’t think of anything cooler than this! Punk-rock Plants!

Comment from Stu Savory
Time: August 22, 2007, 10:00 pm

We have guerilla garbage collection here.
Groups pick up all the bottles, cans, cartons etc that (drinking/smoking) thoughtless car drivers just throw out of the car windows onto the verbes.

Comment from Thirtyseven
Time: August 23, 2007, 7:19 am

Yeah, we called it Urban Assault Forestry, which is probably a much less marketable name. Anyways, our take, which is longer on theory and way shorter on photos of ourselves:

http://www.brainsturbator.com/site/comments/urban_assault_forestry_bipt_project_7/

Comment from Kathy, Washington Gardener
Time: August 30, 2007, 6:52 am

Count me in as a Guerilla Gardener and proud of it. Here is a blog post I did no one of my “operations” last year:
>>http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2006/09/guerilla-gardening.html

Comment from greenjaq
Time: September 4, 2007, 12:47 pm

Beautiful article– the sunflowers’ll provide food for some of the local critters and repopulate themselves, and they don’t have invasive root systems like some plants do. Coolness. Mint’d be a good thing to toss in a ditch if nothing else’ll grow there– I had some spring up where some motor-oil got spilled once.
Saw a nice little thing once in gorilla gardening, a friend of mine directed his run-off from his rooftop A/C unit into a capped piece of PVC pipe with a bunch of holes drilled in it; it watered the little teeny garden he snuck in right below it every time the thing overflowed. Try it! You can use duct tape for camo if you need to hide the white pipe.

Comment from kammood
Time: September 10, 2007, 7:14 pm

This is a real crazy idea. Urban green is a tie with nature. Its an idea worth digging into despite its being seen as ‘underground’ operaton. Yeah carry on digging!

Comment from Halil
Time: September 13, 2007, 7:33 am

Crazy way to make the city landscape nicer.

Comment from Alex
Time: March 28, 2008, 2:22 am

Guerrilla gardening…. that’s so combat! You rock! I’m a Clash fan hehehehe

Comment from Malgorzata Babiarz-Reese
Time: April 19, 2008, 1:01 am

I have never heard of guerilla gardening, it is a great idea. I give my full support!

Comment from dudeargila
Time: May 5, 2008, 5:29 pm

Me and friends did a bunch of times in Fortaleza, Brazil. With local species.. mainly trees and mainly the ones that provide fruits… Most of them didnt survive but some are huge now.