The Germinates

By Holly Louise Psaliou

Advisors: Dr Tijana Blanusa, Principal Horticultural Scientist at the Royal Horticural Society; Sandrine Baudry, Associate Professor at the University of Strasbourg; Dr Michael Hardman, Senior Lecturer in Urban Geography at the University of Salford

“Gardening in general was the biggest influence; I enjoy helping my mom and nan with their gardening, so I was set on this being the groundwork for my story as it adds a personal touch. It wasn’t until I read Sandrine Baudry’s academic paper “Reclaiming Urban Space as Resistance: The Infrapolitics of Gardening” (2012) that I became aware of the term guerrilla gardening. At the time of writing, I was working on something else that was very heavy in exploring social class and it soon became apparent that class was a perfect motive for The Germinates in why they had taken up this grey-area form of gardening. I was very fortunate to speak to Sandrine about her work. To get more chemistry into my radio drama and to ensure the science was accurate, I was put in touch with Dr Tijana Blanusa from the Royal Horticultural Society who was able to advise me on the benefits of specific trees and plants and what their functions are in helping the environment, such as stabilising the air temperature and absorbing water to reduce flooding.”

— Holly