Guerilla Gardening: Weapons of Mass Production

A growing movement

By Bonnie Alter

At a time when most gardeners are happy to sit back and read seed catalogues, others are gearing up for the spring time offensive. Vanessa Harden is a guerrilla gardener and she is creating weapons of mass production.

Guerrilla gardening is a secret movement that has been growing and growing. People see abandoned and overgrown plots of land: in the middle of roadways, empty lots, next to empty houses and they plant seeds and make the plots beautiful. But how to do it without being caught?

At night is one answer. Guerrilla gardeners usually come out at night in small groups. Having identified their target, they bring shovels, flashlights and little seedlings. Sunflowers are popular because they grow big and tall and look great. Lavender is another popular one because it is hardy and smells so nice and has pretty purple flowers.

The traditionalists use seed bombs. These are balls made of a mixture of seeds, clay and compost. They are moulded in a ball with water and then dried. Then you just walk along the street and toss them into the nasty urban blights in your area.

Vanessa Harden goes at it differently. She is a daylight planter and a sole practitioner. She has created some covert instruments that allow her to garden alone and still look chic

Taking her inspiration from spy gadgets, her creations are rather tongue-in-cheek. Some of the tools are hidden in secret pouches and carrier bags and her most complex one, the "precision bombing device" looks like a camera.

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