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16 reviews for:
On Guerrilla Gardening: The Why, What, and How of Cultivating Neglected Public Space
Richard Reynolds
3.63 AVERAGE
16 reviews for:
On Guerrilla Gardening: The Why, What, and How of Cultivating Neglected Public Space
Richard Reynolds
3.63 AVERAGE
informative
It’s nice to know that there are books about ever, including guerrilla gardening. Honestly the book is a 3.5 for me, rounded up to 4. I enjoyed the stories of all the guerrilla gardeners around the world and the wonderful gardens they have created. I also got inspiration about where I could plant and some plants that might work. It was also nice hearing about the steps to go through when starting a garden.
However I found some part irritating like the constant references to Mao, who was anything but a gardener. I also didn’t really see a point to half of the book being dedicated to convincing people of the merits of guerrilla gardening considering that most readers are already willing to garden outside of the law. This is a personal bias of mine but I wish the book focused more on the ecological impacts of guerrilla gardening be it positive or negative. By clearing out overgrown plots or gardening in the wild you are destroying wildlife habitats. Such was the case of one gardener who got rid of brambles who are hugely beneficial to wildlife. I also felt like there should have been a bigger focus on planting native plant species and avoiding invasives. At one point ivy was recommended. While ivy is great in Europe for covering walls and creative ground cover it’s very invasive in America and smothers native plants. Those aspects are mentioned but not enough and are easy to skip or ignore.
However I found some part irritating like the constant references to Mao, who was anything but a gardener. I also didn’t really see a point to half of the book being dedicated to convincing people of the merits of guerrilla gardening considering that most readers are already willing to garden outside of the law. This is a personal bias of mine but I wish the book focused more on the ecological impacts of guerrilla gardening be it positive or negative. By clearing out overgrown plots or gardening in the wild you are destroying wildlife habitats. Such was the case of one gardener who got rid of brambles who are hugely beneficial to wildlife. I also felt like there should have been a bigger focus on planting native plant species and avoiding invasives. At one point ivy was recommended. While ivy is great in Europe for covering walls and creative ground cover it’s very invasive in America and smothers native plants. Those aspects are mentioned but not enough and are easy to skip or ignore.
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
This book is simply written, feeling more like a high school or college paper than most nonfiction. It is perhaps too vague in many ways to be helpful, though gives plenty of examples of guerilla gardening should that be what you want. At this point it may also be a bit dated, especially when referencing things like Myspace, so the web resources and organizations/programs mentioned may be defunct now.
rating based on the context it was written in rather than relevance today - niavely brief mentions of gentrification, class divisions/antihomeless architecture and the importance of forums/MySpace reminded me how much has changed (socially) since this book was written. Nevertheless the history and the basic principles remain incredibly helpful !
An interesting idea, hard for me to grasp as a rural-living person, but I could see how city-dwellers would be into reclaiming un-gardened space and making it their own. A bit too heavy handed on do this not that, call it this, not that.
Inspiring, practical, and though not entirely politically does not shy away from quoting Mao or Che.
Excellent model and encouragement.
"Guerrilla gardening has been important in revitalizing in New York. Adam 276 showed me parks around Hells Kitchen that the city has recently renovated.” We raised the bar,” he said, ’and the Parks Department had to follow.’"
"Guerrilla gardening has been important in revitalizing in New York. Adam 276 showed me parks around Hells Kitchen that the city has recently renovated.” We raised the bar,” he said, ’and the Parks Department had to follow.’"
Another manifesto to go plant some goodies on land you don't own. Love it!
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I always get to this time of year and yearn to plant something, but this is the first year where I cannot plant anything because I live in an apartment with no balcony. This gave me my hit of gardening dopamine that I needed to get through the year. I loved the pictures through the books and the inspiration of guerrilla gardening. I'm curious how it has changed now 15 years after the book was published. Anyway, a great read!