By day he works in advertising, but by night Richard Reynolds spruces up derelict public plots with herbs and flowers. His book, On Guerrilla Gardening, tells all about his 'illicit' hobby. Reynolds chats to mydeco about gardening in the summer, learning to love weeds and run–ins with the police. WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW.
I grew up in.. North Devon. I was always a keen gardener – as a teenager, I made money mowing lawns and selling strawberries.
Moving to London... I thought it wouldn't be difficult to find somewhere to garden but I found nothing at all. It's very hard to even do window boxes.
I got into guerrilla gardening... when I saw all the neglected flower boxes outside my property. I thought it was a miserable patch needing a gardener but it wasn't my land. The idea of talking to the council about it filled me with horror. But in fact I didn’t want them to do the gardening, I wanted to do it myself.
My advice for getting started in gardening... is to forget the world of Groundforce and make–overs which need hundreds of pounds. Think about it bit by bit. Put in some Californian poppies, some sunflowers, echinacea and herbaceous plants.
You will get more pleasure from... simple, cheap stuff, and little victories will cheer you on.
Don't expect it... to look amazing overnight. You have to be patient. Gardening is not like home decorating.
Learn to find enjoyment in... removing weeds. Dig deep and get the roots out or they will just come back. Learn to love bare, empty soil.
At this time of year... it's not a good to be planting. Now is the time to be weeding, watering and enjoying your garden. We’re in that lull – but by August you can start sewing things like California poppies and flax again. Once it gets wetter, plant shrubs.
My must-have gardening tool is... a good fork. Spend £20-25 on a spade and again on a fork. It's like a good set of knives – a cheap set makes cooking a chore. It's the same for gardening. I also wear galoshes which are wellington shoes. They work really well.
I avoid... second-hand tools. I destroyed a lovely fork my grandfather gave me when it snapped. There is usually a reason why someone abandons their tools. They have probably become delicate or dangerous.
The biggest myth about guerrilla gardening is... that I'm the founder of it. It goes back hundreds of years.
To get involved, disguise yourself as... a contractor to avoid attention. You want to be invisible to people who you think are going to cause you trouble but also look approachable to people in community.
I have been stopped by the police... on numerous locations. In all but one incident, the conversation was friendly but brief. My car has been searched under the terrorism act. I've been told that if we didn’t stop, we would be charged with criminal damage. I put down my tools and then went back an hour and a half later and finished off the job. The plants are doing very well today.
My website guerrillagardening.org began... as my blog but has become a global hub for guerrilla gardeners from around the world.
My biggest enemies are... the weeds, apathy, lack of land and general neglect from everyone. The government and authorities are pests, and council contractors generally are rubbish by their own admission. They wouldn’t know what a weed or a plant is. But gardening is one of those things you don’t actually need to be a professional for.
One of the biggest risks a gardener faces... is showing too much bum crack.
Get advice with Richard Reynolds' book On Guerrilla Gardening (£7.50 published by Bloomsbury) from Amazon. Get out your green fingers and stock up on garden tools. Then learn about blooms with our expert buyers guide to flowers.
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