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Guerilla Gardening

Another new gardening craze is sweeping the country, and there’s no decking in sight! With the slogan "Armed with trowels, seeds, and vision, the idea is to garden everywhere. Anywhere.", people are getting out into their local area and turning derelict, unmanaged public areas into pretty gardens. Guerilla gardening is generally an urban past-time where it can make a real difference; not only making areas aesthetically pleasing, but also bringing communities together. It could also be good for wildlife in these locations, providing cover and food in an otherwise urban wilderness.

Back in April, the County Times reported on a local farmer who had planted nearly one mile of daffodils in his local road verges; Guerilla gardening in rural Montgomeryshire. There is no doubt that daffodils put on a fine show, and a road verge covered in them really has the ‘wow’ factor. However, a word or two of caution!

The road verges in Montgomeryshire are perhaps some of the most stunning and diverse in the whole country. Many harbour the last vestiges of our meadows & woodlands, and some are home to rare plants and animals. There are a network of Road Verge Nature Reserves recognized by Powys County Council, and managed appropriately for rare species, diversity of species, high community value or as wildlife corridors. Our road verges are not unmanaged or derelict, and the natural show they put on has its own ‘wow’ factor.

By digging up our road verges to plant non-native plants, you could unwittingly destroy an important wildlife habitat, and also risk planting invasive alien species. If you want to brighten up your local area, first give the trust a bell to find out if the site is special, and if not use native, locally sourced plants suitable for the locality.

For example, plant our native Wild Daffodil rather than one of the many cultivated varieties, and help this increasingly rare plant at the same time.