Skip to content

Rewilding the city

working with communities and individuals to turn city sites into gardens full of flowers, wildlife and vegetables.

  • About rewilding the city
  • About John Welsh
  • projects to rewild the city
  • Do you want to help rewild the city?
  • Contact
  • About rewilding the city
  • About John Welsh
  • projects to rewild the city
  • Do you want to help rewild the city?
  • Contact

3 dos and 3 don’ts while guerrilla gardening a tree pit

Trees are so important in our cities. They clean the air, provide a sanctuary for birds and wildlife. And make people feel good about themselves.  So the wellbeing of the tree must be paramount however ambitious your plans might be for a guerrilla garden in a tree pit. You should do nothing that endangers the […]

Read More 3 dos and 3 don’ts while guerrilla gardening a tree pit

How to restore a meadow, part two – clearing the débris

As the two volunteers and I jumped into the meadow for the first time that November day to start restoring the meadow in our local park, we were surprised by what we found. The park in which the meadow sits is extremely well used by people every day of the year. Yet, behind the flimsiest […]

Read More How to restore a meadow, part two – clearing the débris

How to restore a meadow, part one – introduction

It was not until November 2019 that we first jumped over the old, raggedy wire fence that marked the perimeter of what had once been a meadow in our local park. Six months later, as rain fell after a record-breaking dry April, cornflowers, poppies and yellow rattle are about to romp into growth surrounded by […]

Read More How to restore a meadow, part one – introduction

What is the carbon footprint of your project?

I spent Saturday morning volunteering for the Camden Highline, a project inspired by New York’s High Line. That linear park stretches through the city’s lower West Side on former elevated train tracks. Camden’s will use the derelict railway lines running parallel to London’s Overground. The project will go to competition in April when designers will […]

Read More What is the carbon footprint of your project?

Is it possible to create a wildlife corridor in the city ?

I’ve been out inspecting the tree pits this morning excited – beyond reason – by the potential of the coming months after all the work. I’m even planning what comes next.As we enter a new growing season, the guerrilla gardens now number 18 – from the original three – in a variety of differently-sized, -managed […]

Read More Is it possible to create a wildlife corridor in the city ?

3 questions to ask yourself before guerrilla gardening a tree pit

I was asked on Instagram by Liz Castro (@lizcastro9) “is there any hope for this spot?” accompanied by a photo of a tree pit in Barcelona. I have three questions for you, Liz, before you start work on the 3 STEPS TO CREATING A GUERRILLA GARDEN IN A TREE PIT. I’m also presuming that you […]

Read More 3 questions to ask yourself before guerrilla gardening a tree pit

3 steps to create a guerrilla garden in a tree pit

You’re keen to turn the dustbowl around the tree outside yur front door into a wildlife oasis. You’ve checked that you have the long-term commitment with 3 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE GUERRILLA GARDENING A TREE PIT and you also consider the wellbeing of the tree above the pit paramount so you will follow the […]

Read More 3 steps to create a guerrilla garden in a tree pit

Do you have a plant on which you rely?

Mine is Persicaria amplexicaulis, a clump of which I was gifted over thirty years ago and from which every single plant I have since used is descended. It’s extremely tough, the only plant to grow in the dust below an elderly Cordyline australis we inherited and integrated into the design of our original London garden […]

Read More Do you have a plant on which you rely?

What do you see if you looked back 30 years?

My sister recently found and sent me a photo of the first perennial border I planted in London – and, Cami, our long-departed family dog on a rare visit from the Lake District. It is for what was then her and my 25 metre-long garden in Hackney. It’s summer, 1989. The garden still retained the […]

Read More What do you see if you looked back 30 years?

How will your garden be if you fell under a bus?

A somewhat macabre question to ask but if you are interested in gardening more sustainably and rewilding your part of the city, through guerrilla gardening in particular, it’s an important question. I’ve been reflecting on it after spotting these autumnal tree pits and street pots on a walk earlier this week. They look magnificent but […]

Read More How will your garden be if you fell under a bus?

Posts navigation

Older posts
Blog at WordPress.com.
Rewilding the city
Blog at WordPress.com.
  • Follow Following
    • Rewilding the city
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Rewilding the city
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...