17 Nov 2023
Unloved and unkempt patches of shrubland in Cottonmill have been transformed into beautiful, wildlife-friendly “guerrilla gardens” thanks to the efforts of a green-fingered husband and wife team.
Erica and Philip Lynwood have crafted two different gardens, one on the corner of Keyfield Terrace and the other at the bottom of the car park on Old London Road, starting off the project just over a year ago.
Erica, 64, works as a full-time medical summariser but was once a professional gardener, while Philip is 55 and a delivery driver with little experience of gardening. She explained how they came up with the idea of the guerrilla gardens.
“We were tenants in Telford Court and had been voluntarily upgrading the badly neglected communal garden around the flats, putting in hundreds of hours of work and adding a lot of plants to enhance the area. The toughest part was actually stopping the paid maintenance crews from wrecking what was there, and clearing up the mess they left behind when they inappropriately trimmed down shrubs!
“When we were told that the flats were being demolished I wondered how to rescue what I had planted, and although we were lucky enough to get a transfer to a place with a garden in Sopwell Lane, the fact that I now only have a 12’ by 12’ garden when I had got used to a very large area left me with a planting dilemma.”
Fortunately proactive Philip recognised the potential for turning the rough verge at the corner of Keyfield Terrace – what a friend described as “Poo Corner” – into a pretty garden.
He moved a couple of Japanese quinces and a hazelnut from Telford Court, and with Erica having already filled her own garden and that of a neighbour with plants from the high-rise, she decided to expand onto the verge.
This week marks a year since the inception of what they have come to call “Guerrilla 1”.
Erica continued: “I like to garden in a wildlife friendly way but always keep in mind that there are lots of passers-by who like something nice to look at, so I try to keep a balance. I designed all the pretty features that people notice, but my husband is the real hero because he performs the tasks people only notice when he stops doing them. He cuts the grass – he only has a push mower – sweeps up the leaves, trims back overhanging branches which stop people using pavements safely, pulls out weeds blocking drains and picks up the endless tide of trash which is an unfortunate feature of urban life.”
Having gone as far as they can with Guerilla 1, it’s now just a case of maintaining its appeal while they work on Guerrilla 2 across the road.
“I also have a big project coming up, which will be turning the corner of Alma Road and London Road into a garden, although as it’s not as close to home it will be less elaborate than Guerrilla 1 and 2.
“At the moment we’re waiting for approval from [SADC council leader Cllr] Chris White to buy a couple of trees. Guerrilla 1 and 2 were entirely self-funded – I had no idea there was any kind of money available for this type of project – although the bollards around Guerrilla 1 were put in by the council and appeared after I started the garden.
“We’re blown away by the positive response to our efforts, especially since when we put the first plants in we did get a few negative reactions to what we were doing. It’s great knowing that we put a smile on people’s faces, and if it inspires people to get out there and plant something themselves then even better!”
Green councillor for St Peter’s ward, Juliet Voisey, praised the initiative: “Local residents should be applauded for transforming bare grass verges into something like Keyfield Terrace. Often bare verges attract litter and dog waste which is unpleasant.
“If we give residents the option and the support to plant on verges we can create pleasant environments for communities and wildlife.
We can increase our biodiversity net gain across the district and the pollinators will thrive as we create pollinator highways.
“It’s well known that gardening can improve mood, as well as mental and physical health. People have already commented on how Keyfield Terrace makes them feel happier walking past each day. It can also grow communities and educate others on which plants to grow.
“The Green Party here in St Albans would like to see more activities like this on suitable council land and we support the proposed bill from Incredible Edibles called The Community Right to Grow Bill that will hopefully be passed in Parliament soon. Communities will be able to grow food locally on suitable unused council land. We know this helps local people with access to free healthy food with zero food miles, and with the current cost of living, local sites could be a lifeline for people.
“Hull City Council has just become the first council to adopt the policy and we will be pushing for St Albans district council to follow suit so we as a city can be a leader in initiatives like this.”
