Guerilla Gardening for Sustainability?!

Guerilla Gardening for Sustainability?!

Abstract:

Guerilla Gardening is introduced and the plants normally used are reviewed. An approach for the use of wildflowers and a more sustainable approach is presented.

Do you know Guerilla Gardening? It is an approach to plant in public spaces that are not owned by the person who plants.

For a concise overview see

URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerilla_gardening,

URL: http://www.guerillagardening.org,

URL: http://www.gruenewelle.org (in different languages) and

URL: http://www.guerillagaertner.com/ (für deutschsprachige Leser).

Guerilla gardeners often are using sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), tulips (Tulipa spp.) or narcissus (Narcissus spp.). The plants are chosen in order to be visible and nice.

However out of point of view of sustainability it would be rather advisable to use wild plant species that are belonging to the flora of the area (e.g. Berlin, London or New York).

If you are unsure which plant to choose try to look for wild flowering plants that are growing on land that is not used any more. In autumn you can secure dry seeds (do not kill the whole plant or cut off all dry seeds, since the plant wants to distribute the seeds naturally as well).

Sustainable Guerilla Gardening is therefore educating the gardeners (by learning to read and understand the flora of their environment) as well as the people which are living in these urban areas (“what is that plant, mom”?).

Therefore I suggest plants that should be planted are wild flowers that do not need care and are more or less natural in these surroundings – such as poppies (Papaver spp.) or daisies (Bellis spp.) that create many seeds and will be distributed easily – these plants will be distri­buted by help of the wind and animals (insects, birds) easily and thereby you make sure that your sustainable guerilla garden is growing and extending nicely, it will flourish in the years to come.

But be warned: to plant wild flowers in public ground is forbidden in most parts of the world.

So possibly you should make sure that the plants will germ many days after you secretly leave the site of your gardening activity…

Benefits:

- Wild plants are distributed

- More plants are growing

- More CO₂ is consumed and O₂ is produced by help of photosynthesis

- When local wild flowers are used animals are benefiting as well

- The sustainable guerilla gardener and the local people are learning to know the local wild flowers.                                                                                                                                                                                      Dr. Carsten Weerth