Guerrilla gardeners are greening France's urban areas

A Paris-based gardening author and influencer is encouraging more people to green France’s urban spaces, insisting guerrilla tactics can transform unloved areas.

Ophélie Damblé, 35, goes by the moniker Ta Mère Nature online, where she has a hugely successful YouTube account and 243,000 followers on Instagram.

She started sharing videos in 2017 and today specialises in urban agriculture, having created a neighbourhood nursery at Cité Fertile, on the site of a former SNCF freight station in Pantin. 

She has also become one of the faces of France’s burgeoning guerrilla gardening movement, which sees ordinary citizens, rather than local authorities, targeting neglected areas and planting flowers, fruit, vegetables or herbs. 

Read more: French vegetable gardens offer fresh job prospects

Join an association

“For me, green guerrilla warfare is a tool like any other for getting involved in greening,"  Ms Damblé said.  

“It is true that there is a slightly more militant and illegal side to it, which can sometimes scare people. 

“That's where being part of an association can be reassuring, because you are supported by people who have more experience, who have the tools etc.”

On the whole, she says, guerrilla gardeners encounter few problems with the authorities. 

“There are many cities that look favourably on citizens greening their spaces, and have even introduced permits. 

“In general, green guerrilla warfare is well tolerated. 

Read more: Nantes wins award for its work on biodiversity in city

Reclaiming public space

“I like the idea too. It is a bit of a pirate way of reclaiming public space in a completely spontaneous way. It's about civil disobedience, and showing the absurdity of excessive concreting.”

For anyone who is thinking about greening an unloved plot but is worried about breaking the law, Ms Damblé suggests contacting the Incroyables Comestibles (lesincroyablescomestibles.fr), a national network for greening France’s streets, or joining annual events such as 48 Hours of Urban Agriculture (les48h.com), or le Parking Day (parkingday.fr), where people pay for a parking spot and turn it into a green space. 

Although these events are good for raising awareness, guerrilla gardeners may want to put their projects on a more permanent footing. 

“What can be interesting is if the space being planted starts to be really well looked after by local residents,” Ms Damblé said. 

“Then people can think about making the space official: why not set up an association to safeguard it?”

Gardening activist icon

She recounted the story of Los Angeles resident Ron Finley, describing him as “one of the great figures of the green guerrilla movement”. 

In 2010, he broke the law by planting vegetables in a neglected spot of local land and was fined. His act of civil disobedience prompted lots of media interest and a change in the law but also shed light on the lack of access to fresh fruit and vegetables in poorer areas. 

When asked if she wanted to see something similar happen in France, Ms Damblé said: “I am also a farmer, so I can see more and more things are being organised to make urban agriculture projects more sustainable – for example, longer authorisations or better subsidies.

“We are trying to organise urban farms to help people understand all the benefits that plants can bring – that it is not just about plants, it is about social links, food and biodiversity and helping us to keep them in place. 

“I think we are making progress, but there is still a long way to go.”

She is encouraged by the diversity of people, from schoolchildren to businesspeople and pensioners, who attend her workshops at Cité Fertile, and is thrilled that two of her four books have now been published in English. 

“We always find a way of understanding each other when we talk about plants,” she said. “For me, gardening really is a universal language.”

Planting tips for green revolutionaries

You can have fun growing anything but think about the constraints, Ms Damblé advises would-be guerrilla gardeners. 

“Does it have good exposure? Can you come and water it often? Things like that.”

She also suggests using planters to avoid the risks posed by potentially polluted soil in cities, and to think carefully about the location. 

“Plant things that are as local as possible and that may help biodiversity,” she said. “Pollinators have less and less food, especially in cities, so choosing melliferous plants that produce a lot of nectar can really help them. 

“Generally speaking, I also try to plant things that are best suited to our climate.”

Ms Damblé also recommends using seed bombs to regenerate an urban site: a combination of seeds, compost, clay and water. 

“It's a technique that has been around since ancient Egyptian times for revegetating areas that are either difficult to access or a little lacking in nutrients,” she said. 

“They are great fun to make with your family and children: it’s a very joyful way of planting. That is another thing I like about the green guerrilla movement. It has a very playful dimension.”

For more information see tamerenature.com.