By Donna Iverson This spring, I plan to become a guerrilla gardener. I’ve dabbled in guerrilla gardening before. But this year, I plan to get more serious about it. What is guerrilla gardening? Basically, it is growing food or flowers in neglected public spaces. Like abandoned city lots. Or along public pathways, like old railroad lines. Or maybe a neglected area in your neighborhood. My role model for guerrilla gardening is Miss Rumphius. She is a fictional character created by Barbara Conney. The children’s picture book tells the tale of an older woman who roams her neighborhood planting lupine seeds. Her aim is to make the world a better place. Of course, the most famous American guerrilla gardener is Johnny Appleseed. He planted Ohio with apple seeds during the early 1800s. He also owned acres of apple orchards. My aim like Miss Rumphius is just to throw out a few plant seeds (native species) in abandoned neglected areas on my walks. Most likely, I will stick with annuals like zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, and larkspur. Although the native lupine, which is a perennial, is also tempting. Guerrilla gardening began in the 1960s in Berkeley, California (where else). Anti-war demonstrators planted trees on some empty property owned by the University of California. Today it is a public park. Guerrilla gardeners have various motives for their actions. Some want to beautify their neighborhoods. Others, like me, enjoy seeding urban areas with native plants to help pollinators which are threatened with extinction. Another motivation is to provide fresh veggies for those who live in food deserts. And like earlier guerrilla gardeners, some are motivated to protest land-use practices. Guerrilla gardeners whose motives were to provide free food have often evolved into community gardeners. Taking over vacant lots, they have transformed these neglected spaces with garden beds that grow fresh veggies. Near me, there are three community gardens. Two of these lots are owned by nearby churches and one by the City of Muskegon. This country is not the only one to sprout guerrilla gardeners. Guerrilla gardening is popular in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Poland, South Korea and the UK. Organized guerrilla groups often come up with plans to transform neglected spaces. Some are as organized as community gardeners. Others may throw what are called seed bombs in blighted lots in the middle of the night. Others prefer to carry flower seeds in their pockets and just sprinkle a few where weeds predominate. ..along back roads or pathways. Final note: guerrilla gardeners should respect private property as it is illegal to sow seeds without permission.
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This is brilliant? (I always loved this book and since moving here, gave come to love the wild lupine.🌱💚) I've been doing gorilla gardening somewhat, but after last fall's seed collecting and winter sowing of native plants, I intend to do this more and more. I'd love to connect with you Donna. Maybe you could give this talk to our ever growing native plants enthusiasts of the Newaygo County Area? Contact me, if you'd like, at katie.c@nc-ec.org
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