Guerrilla gardening in Austin
‘Lavender Lady’ passionflower vine
The trendy topic of guerrilla gardening, hashed over for months in the garden blogging community (see Garden Rant and Gardening Tips ‘n’ Ideas), has trickled down to the local news. Local readers, tune in to KEYE 42 news tonight at 10 p.m. to see the story by environmental reporter and meteorologist Megan Campbell.
Guerrilla gardening, if you haven’t heard, is the act of “reclaiming” a neglected public space by planting a garden in it, anonymously and sometimes covertly in the dead of night. In theory it sounds very civic minded. After all, who could complain about a beautification effort led by volunteers? But in practice, I wonder. Who maintains such gardens afterward? What if the plants are poorly chosen—invasive, perhaps, or too tall for a city median?
A few years ago, I helped with a beautification effort on a roadside strip in my own neighborhood. With the help of the neighborhood association, we obtained the necessary permissions from the city, followed their height guidelines and approved plant list, and planted a xeric perennial garden and a couple of shade trees. While weeding and watering, it was great to receive thank-yous from passing motorists, joggers, and walkers.
One day I went over to water and noticed that some guerrilla gardening had occurred overnight. Nearly a dozen small prickly pear cacti had been planted throughout the perennial bed. One cactus will generally do quite nicely, but a dozen? These babies get huge and deadly spiny. I wondered briefly if someone had a death wish for the community gardeners. Then I realized that some well-meaning neighbor had probably dug up a cactus or two from his or her own garden and decided to share the wealth rather than throw the pads away. Voila—into the community garden!
Needle-less to say, we pulled the prickly pears out and found a new home for them. That’s been my only experience with guerrilla gardening so far. I look forward to seeing what stories of green-thumbed intrigue in Austin will be featured on the news tonight.
Guerrilla gardening story: KEYE 42 news, 10 p.m. Tuesday
Update, 10:20 p.m.: Well, that was a bust. The story didn’t air. Sorry, folks. However, you can read more about guerrilla gardening in Austin at Renee’s Roots. She has details and pictures of Garden Posse (they have a blog too) in action under cover of darkness.
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
I’m sorry I can’t watch, but it will be interesting, I’m sure.
I love the idea of guerrilla gardening! I did some of that in our front entry way with some xeriscape plants that my neighbor and I took out of our own gardens and shared them with neighbors. It looks beautiful and we are reminded of our good civic duties after a good rain storm — we are waiting for one now 🙂 I love your blog! Pamie G. in San Antonio
Hi, Pamie. We’re waiting for rain to arrive with the hurricane too. Fingers crossed! Thanks for your kind words and for sharing your story about guerrilla gardening in your neighborhood. —Pam
I hope I can keep awake to see what examples are shown in Austin. You may have thought that my post on Salt Lake was an example of G Gardening. After all Gina has spread to the vacant lot next door. I think we could do with some G gardening in the median on Southwest Parkway. It used to be full of natives at this time of year and now all it has is Johnson grass. Bring back the sunflowers I say.
Did the natives get mowed down, or did they just succumb to the drought and heat this year? —Pam
Like most things in life, a little guerrilla gardening is good, but a lot isn’t necessarily better. My own guerrilla gardening efforts are limited to a small portion of the island in the middle of the cul de sac. I planted a variegated Disporum there because I realized I was too afraid of it spreading to plant it in the garden. It looked lonely, so I planted some wild Ginger & violets to keep it company. Too bad I’m the only one on the street who has bothered to even pull the weeds.
Do you get compliments on your community gardening efforts, MMD, even though no help with the weeding? Maintenance is often the downfall of public-space gardening, I think. —Pam
It is web 2.0 and the everyday people power showing yet again in these interesting times we live in…..hope movements spring up around these grassroots approaches to greenspace beautification!
I agree that the guerrillas should do some research before planting. However we have had someone in the city administration that had the Boy Scouts come out and plant pine trees in a most inappropriate place. I tried to dissuade them but the little darlings were out there planting. Unfortunately, or thankfully, only one tree lived.
My DB has taken it upon himself to plant appropriately in this same area. Hopefully there will be a nice shaded area next to our property in a few years. He hasn’t exactly been a guerrilla but I hope it works.
Site-appropriate plants make all the difference. I hope your husband’s gardening efforts pay off. —Pam
There are three vacant lots in our neighborhood where development has stopped due to the slump in the housing market. The developers just can’t make enough money from building on the lots to finish their original projects. That said, they also don’t maintain the lots and they are a huge eyesore. We would welcome some guerrilla gardeners stopping by… hhhmmmm… wonder who might do something like that… hehehehe…
Hmm, I wonder? Sounds like two new guerrilla gardeners may be working in Seattle soon. —Pam
Maintenance is definitely the downfall of most well-meaning GG projects. I do a lot of seedballing to give seeds the best chance out there in the big wide world. Cheaper than losing actual plants!
Seedballing? That sounds intriguing. —Pam
Pam, thanks for the link. Love your oxblood lilies. I only have one bloom so far. Hoping I’ll get more. They probably want more water than I’ve been giving them.
I was hoping we’d get more rain from the hurricane, but it’s looking like a bust for us. Meanwhile, I’m sure poor Galveston and Houston will get more than they’ll want. —Pam
I’ve often wondered these same things. Guerrilla Gardening seems so civic minded, but those of us who garden in these climates know mistakes can be made. Stuart wrote a post on this too on his blog, Garden Tips & Ideas. It was the first time I read anyone who wrote about their negative experience with GG. I’m sorry the news report didn’t air. It would have been interesting to follow the later link.~~Dee
I linked to Stuart’s post in the first paragraph, Dee. His was a thought-provoking take on guerrilla gardening, wasn’t it? —Pam
The lady,Fran, at the feed store down the road from my house just loves flowers but can’t grow cactus. There are three cattle syrup tubs in front that are shaded almost all day. She tried almost everything,[all wrong plants] and finally gave up. I went down on a Monday when they were closed with plants from my garden. I planted Shrimp plant, Turk’s Cap, and some kind of giant Petunias. That was years ago and they have done splendid. Her husband caught me doing it but I convinced him to keep it between us. I had to drill some extra holes in the bottom edges of the tubs as she was watering them to death. She thinks they came up from some of the plants that she had planted. It makes me so glad when I go there to buy feed and see them doing well.
That was bold of you, Bob (you even drilled holes in her containers!), but it sounds like your guerrilla gardening made someone happy. Still, I can’t help wondering if it wouldn’t have been better to have explained or shown her what made her plantings die and what made this one work. It’s like teaching someone to fish versus giving them a fish (if that analogy works?). Anyway, thanks for sharing your guerrilla gardening story. —Pam
Sorry to read you pulled up the prickly pear. It’s a sacred plant.
Yes, they can get big, but they don’t grow that fast. They can be really good mother plants, shielding small seedlings until they get a better start. In some areas, a prickly pear pad is deliberately planted with new seedlings to protect them until they gain in strength and size.
They store water and have medicinal properties. In Mexico, they have traditionally been used for water purification, including removal of heavy metals.
I hope the new home you found was worthy of this plant!