Guerilla Gardening

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Just like the ol rap tune: are you down with OPP? If youve ever committed guerilla gardening you should chant back- yeah! you know me!

Guerrilla Vegetable GardenGuerilla gardening (GG) is: The illicit cultivation of someone elses land.

According to the thoughts of Richard Reynolds in his book titled On Guerilla Gardening: A handbook for gardening without boundaries. The movement is rumored to have been started in 1973 by Liz Christy and her Seed Grenade projectile project.

Often neglected patches of land that dot the cityscapes cement jungle, dry out into unkept eyesores.

The process for a city official who is buried in needful projects just dont have time to make a simple eye sore a priority.

This is where an NGO like the guerilla gardening movement can do the most good.

Adding beauty to the landscape is essential to projects like those in London, Los Angeles, and other places in the world.

Guerilla Gardening can be as simple as planting basil in a neighbors unused planter to landscaping an intersection.

How about seed bombing? :)

In Los Angeles there is bureaucratic support for the Guerilla Gardening movement according to the Associated Press. Los Angeles Councilman Tom LaBonge said he is behind guerrilla gardening for as long as the movement continues to operate safely, without impeding the flow of traffic. The originator of the guerilla gardening concept, Richard Reynolds is from London.

In an interview with CNN he said: ìI have been stopped by the police and threatened with arrest, which was very depressing,î ìThey insisted I stop, which I did, but I went back an hour and a half later and finished off the job.î

Going out at 2 a.m. makes him feel like ÖFather Christmas or the Tooth FerryÖ. People wake up the next day to see that someone was nice enough to re-beautify a garden bed they didnt have time to do themselves.

Reynolds website has insightful tips as to how to find expensive plants for free.

He recommends using discarded vegetation. He says, that most guerilla gardens are made up from discarded plant material that just needs the littlest bit of love to transform a bed location also in need of some love.

Reynolds blog goes on to say that a great place to find discarded plants is a grand floral show.

In Oregon this could be anywhere a Rose Parade float is being constructed. Or at the Expo Center.

The Rose Bowl is another great place to make off with tossed aside vegetation that doesnt make the grade for the event; but will look awesome in a road median.

The Tulip Festival in Holland Michigan is a great place for the discarded bulbs to find there way into guerilla missions in the surrounding states and provinces.

This aspect of guerilla gardening is kind of like Chuck Palanuiks Trent Durdon at the liposuction clinic.

The concept is that the flowers or other vegetation is not good enough for the show. And that it is too expensive to be removed.

By taking discarded vegetation. The area is cleared of debris, the plant is saved and its natural beauty is placed where it can be appreciated. The win-win nature of it is clear thinking on sustainability at its best.

Guerilla gardening. Are you down with OPP?

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