So, the first week of Spring has gone, not that it feels that much different from the week previous (the gabillionth week of winter). But here it is. And amazingly, even though there are no obvious signals in the physical environment (i.e. sunshine), I can feel it. I have been digging out closets and sorting through papers – bitten by some kind of Spring cleaning bug – I am even thinking about what to plant on my wee little back deck garden (and other places around town). By way of explanation: here is my pick for Read of the Week:

On Guerrilla Gardening: A Handbook for Gardening without Boundaries
by Richard Reynolds

One of the things I love about Vancouver is our growing community garden movements. But what I love more than a bunch of like-minded green thumbs banding together to fight through official, municipal channels are those crazy buggers who go out gardening in the middle of the night to transform unused (or ill-used) public land. Good on you – you who set up garden plots by railway tracks and in roundabouts – We need more Guerrilla Gardeners. In On Guerrilla Gardening, Richard Reynolds brings together hints, tips and inspirational stories from around the world that make you want to put on the camouflage and ski mask and grab some lavender (or alternative, sturdy-but-native plant) and head out into the dark streets of Vancouver. A fabulous, inspirational book, and one that deserves our attentions as the sun begins to shine.

I have my eye on a patch, though I’m not saying where…

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Michelle Sproule grew up in Kitsilano and attended Bond University in Australia and the University of Victoria before receiving her graduate degree in Library Sciences from The University of Toronto. She lives by the beach in Vancouver and enjoys wandering aimlessly through the city’s shops and streets with her best friend – a beat up, sticky, grimy, and uncooperative camera.

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