Name ______________________________ Core _________ Date ________________________
Gardeners Help Cities for Free
pullweeds. They also plant flowers and bushes that they
have purchased themselves.
"My goal was to beautify the neighborhood," said
James Caviola, who became a guerilla gardener in
California about 12 years ago by planting a single tree in
front of his house. Caviola said he eventually raised
money to help elect tree-friendly council members. Now,
he works with his city to plant trees on street dividers and
along sidewalks.
Many people, however, remain guerrilla
gardeners because they do not have permission to plant
their gardens on city-owned land. L.A. resident Steve
LOS ANGELES, California More than a dozen
Coker says this is because obtaining official approval to
people pulled rakes and shovels from a dingy shopping
beautify public property is often cumbersome. Coker has
cart. Then, they started tending to a parched patch of land
attempted on several occasions to acquire that
along a busy off-ramp of the Hollywood Freeway in Los
authorization, but to no avail. So he and other gardeners
Angeles, California. It was nighttime, and drivers were
take it upon themselves to beautify the city anyway.
whooshing past at breakneck speeds, but the crew kept
working. By the wee hours of the morning, the group had
"We try not to let bureaucracy stand in the way,"
Coker said.
transformed the blight into bloom. The patch of land now
Gardening on public land is technically illegal.
displayed green shrubbery intermingled with a colorful
However, city leaders in many areas recognize that it is
array of flowers.
done for the public good. Los Angeles Councilman Tom
Were these late-night workers city employees
LaBonge, for example, said that he supports guerrilla
putting in overtime? No—there's no budget for that in
gardening—as long as people don't create a safety hazard
L.A. These were "guerrilla gardeners." They are part of
or impede traffic.
an underground movement to beautify vacant or
overgrown public spaces.
"What we're fighting is neglect," said Richard
Reynolds, a London, England, guerilla gardener.
"I'm a guerrilla gardener, but I'm mostly just a
maintenance guy," LaBonge said. "I pull weeds when I'm
out walking. Everyone is welcome to do it. The city needs
help."
Reynolds founded a Web site on which guerilla gardeners
share their ideas.
In L.A., London, and many other cities around
the world, residents are forming gardening groups. These
groups bring their own tools, pick up trash, and
LaBonge and some other supporters point out
that guerrilla gardening improves the scenery and might
otherwise never get done, due primarily to a lack of
funding.
Some gardeners say that landscaping projects
crusade, planting gardens without permission in the hope
should not be put off for financial reasons. They say
that the city would eventually maintain them. The
gardens can be created using native or drought-resistant
residents achieved their goal, and the gardens are now
plant species that do not require a great deal of effort or
maintained by the city's parks and recreation department.
funding to maintain. Scott Bunnell, who has cultivated a
Other cities around the world are beginning to
guerilla garden on a road divider in California for the last
follow New York's lead. Reynolds said that Montreal,
10 years, hopes that his efforts demonstrate that low-
Canada, is close to sprouting some cooperation between
maintenance gardens are possible in Southern California's
residents and city officials in the effort to maintain its
arid climate.
gardens. L.A. gardeners remain hopeful that their city too
"Maybe I can help [show] municipalities, cities,
and whatnot… that they could make good use of the
landscape," he said.
will eventually begin maintaining the unauthorized
gardens.
Until then, devoted guerilla gardeners continue
their undercover landscaping efforts. The Hollywood
City involvement was the goal of the guerrilla
Freeway crew appears eager to recruit new members. A
gardening movement when it started in the 1970s in New
sign at the edge of the garden closest to a nearby
York City. There, residents took up the beautification
boulevard reads, "Guerrilla Gardening. Please water me.
Dictionary
councilman (noun)
public (adjective)
traffic (noun)
a person who works for the people of a city
for all people
the group of cars and trucks moving along a road
trash (noun)
things people throw away
weed (noun)
plant that grows where it is not wanted
arid (adjective)
avail (noun)
very dry
success or achievement
bureaucracy (noun)
rigid and complex rules that often lead to inefficiency
guerrilla (adjective)
having to do with small groups that try to achieve a goal by disturbing the peace or
working against the law
impede (verb)
to hinder
Multiple Choice: Circle the letter of the choice the best completes the statement. (2 points each)
1. According to the article, why did James Caviola
originally become a guerilla gardener?
A. He wanted to help elect tree-friendly council
members in California.
B. He hoped to help beautify the California
neighborhood in which he lived.
C. He hoped to get permission from California officials
to plant a single tree.
D. He wanted to plant one single tree in front of his
house in California.
2. Which is the closest synonym for the word recruit?
A. Elevate
B. Recollect
C. Enlist
D. Renew
3. Which question is not answered by the article?
A. What are some species of plants that thrive in
Southern California's dry climate?
B. What is Tom LaBonge's opinion about guerrilla
gardening in Los Angeles?
C. Why did New York City residents plant guerrilla
gardens during the 1970s?
D. Why has Los Angeles resident Steve Coker
remained a guerrilla gardener?
4. The author probably wrote this article in order to
__________.
A. Complain about guerrilla gardeners who broke the
law in New York City and L.A.
B. Complain about the dangerous traffic conditions
that can harm guerrilla gardeners
C. Tell about how gardeners can easily cultivate lowmaintenance gardens in a dry climate
D. Tell about an underground movement in many cities
that works to beautify public places
5. What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A. The way in which late-night city workers put in
overtime shifts to do guerrilla gardening
B. A typical example of how guerrilla gardeners are in
grave danger from oncoming traffic
C. The way in which a parched patch of land can
quickly bloom with shrubbery and flowers
D. A description of a typical night spent by guerrilla
gardeners working to beautify their city
6. The article states: In L.A., London, and many other
cities around the world, residents are forming
gardening groups. Which would be the closest synonym
for the word resident?
A. Consumer
B. Crusader
C. Citizen
D. Conveyor
7. Which of these is most important to include in a
summary of this article?
A. The reason that guerrilla gardeners chose to work
right near a busy freeway off-ramp
B. The title of the book written by London-based
gardener Richard Reynolds
C. The reasons why guerrilla gardeners consider their
work important
D. The name of the Web site founded by Richard
Reynolds for guerrilla gardeners
8. Which of these is a statement of opinion?
A. Some gardeners say that gardens can be created
using native or drought-resistant plants.
B. L.A. gardeners can safely assume that their city will
follow New York's lead.
C. Gardening on public land is technically against the
law in many municipalities.
D. Councilman Tom LaBonge supports guerrilla
gardening if certain conditions are met.
Opinion Question: What do you think should cities allow people to plant gardens on public land? (5 points)
Thought Question: You just spent a night working with a guerrilla gardening crew. Describe your experience.
Use ideas from the article, as well as your own ideas. Use descriptive language in your writing. (5 points)
Math- Gardeners plant pink and white flowers near a busy street. Based on the picture, what fraction of the
flowers are pink? The answer must be in simplest form.