A Guerrilla Gardening Weekend

May 1st is International Sunflower Guerrilla Gardening Day

https://www.facebook.com/guerrillagardening/ and http://www.guerrillagardening.org/

Redbud, apple seedlings and more
are heading out on a "mission" of
beautification and food production

Guerrilla Gardening is planting where you don't actually have permission, whether road ditches, along bike trails, abandoned lots or public parks & open spaces.  Guerrilla gardeners often see these spaces as neglected and ply their trade as a way to improve the space.  Sometimes vegetables and fruit trees are planted for food, while other times sunflowers and other flowers are used to beautify a space.  Fruit bearing branches can be attached to ornamental pear and crabapple trees by Guerrilla Grafters.  Even moss can be used as a form of "Green Graffiti."  Guerrilla Gardening can be used as a political act to encourage local food production, bring attention to urban blight or promote changes in land use policies.

Watch Ron Finley's famous Guerrilla Gardening TEDtalk

This weekend, although cold and rainy, was actually a decent time to put out some plants particularly in the "wild" as bare rooted apple seedlings ended up cool, out of direct sunlight and the roots stayed moist with little extra effort.  The continued cool weather forecasted shouldn't stress them much; and more rain will provide a cool drink that will also ease the transplanting stress.

Milkweed for butterflies, purple cone flowers for all pollinators, redbud trees for habitat and pretty blossoms are all good native choices for guerrilla gardening with positive benefits without the risk of invasiveness or obnoxiousness.

Seed bombs can help make a gardening "drive-by" with a quick "getaway"

Chris Rice and our friends over at the Quad Cities Edible Landscape group put this video together for a higher tech approach to their "Operations" of increasing native Paw Paw trees.  Paw Paws are a sought after edible, with rising popularity and a short shelf life.  If you know where a patch is, finding the fruit at the right time is a nice treat!  They are also one of the few host plants for the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly.

http://youtu.be/kvPK3KOp8VI

This video will show you how to Guerrilla Grow food bearing trees in a wooded area. You will learn the tools and techniques necessary for a successful planting mission and there are links to suppliers in this description. In this video we are planting the native pawpaw tree which is well suited to growing as an understory plant and has delicious fruit.

Read the full article here with how-to's, more information and links to the tools used:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/QC.EdibleLandscape/permalink/1413986932018219/ 

Join their Facebook group, the Quad Cities Edible Landscape​ at:

http://facebook.com/groups/QC.EdibleLandscape

Beyond guerrilla gardening you could always get a plot in a community garden; volunteer at a botanical center, arboretum or shelter garden; restock books at a Little Free Library; or hang birdhouses around town.  Sometimes people with a yard or garden may let you help them out for a share of the seasons produce!

Was Johnny Appleseed America's first famous Guerrilla Gardener?

Have a great Guerrilla Gardening Day! and International Permaculture Day! and...

Happy May Day to you too!