Lorraine Johnson

Of all the possible definitions of a garden, I like Don Gayton’s best: “A garden is a gift, a celebration and a revelation.” Gayton’s idea applies equally well to his own efforts, as an ecologist landscaping his suburban yard, as to the more political and activist agenda of guerrilla gardener David Tracey. Both use their trowels to cultivate broad connections – Gayton’s to the ecology of the land, Tracey’s to the social ecology of community – and both have written deeply wise books. There’s plenty of fertile, nurturing mulch in these two works – and loads of sly, humble humour.