A few thoughts about Adopt-a-spots and guerilla gardening

My Adopt-a-spot for the last 36 years.

My intention today was originally to write about the best trees to plant this fall. But since the great spigot in the sky has been turned off with no relief in sight (virtually zero rain in the past two months), it’s hard for me to tell anyone to plant anything other than cacti. I WILL be posting about trees but not until there is a glimmer of hope that this drought breaks. Now, on to our regularly scheduled program:

So, what to do if you’re an avid gardener and have run out of room? Take your shovel across the border, of course. Only in this case the “border” is much closer than you think. There is a parcel of “City-owned” land just down the street from me. An easy wheelbarrow stroll away. I say “City-owned” but I think technically it’s “tax-payer owned”. I’m a taxpayer so, yeah, it’s mine now. It was funny when I first asked permission to do some planting here. By the time the officials finished with whatever it is their bureaucracy does, it was deemed that with setbacks, I would have room for exactly one shrub. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission they say. The irony is that this spot won a beautification award, from the city the very next year.

At last count, I figured I have planted around 50 trees in my neighborhood that aren’t on my property. For many of these, I even had the owner’s permission. Before you end accolades, I’ll tell you that I am not the horticultural saint you may think. I plant trees as a purely selfish act. I live in fear that our communities will someday only be home to crape myrtle and dogwoods. These are mere ornaments compared to oaks, cypress, sycamores, and redwoods.

I’ve found that the absolute best time to sneak in a “real” tree is when a property goes for sale. The former owner is gone but a new one hasn’t yet claimed ownership. When I used to share these stories with my students, some called me “Garry, the guerilla gardener”. I wear that badge proudly.

Originally, I was going to write a couple of separate pieces about this and my next point, Certified Wildlife Habitats but then I figured these things are loosely related so I decided to lump both together here.

“Certified Wildlife Habitat”? What the hello Dolly is this, you may ask? The National Wildlife Federation will give you a very nifty sign for your property/garden if you visit their site https://www.nwf.org/CERTIFY and let them know that you are providing five key elements for critters. These are food, sustainable practices, water, shelter, and places to raise their young. It’s all very much on the honor system (no drones will come spy on you, at least none from the NWF). These are all pretty easy to meet, especially if you’re not a lawn freak. Water doesn’t have to be a full-blown pond but simply a birdbath or two. Of course, you should clean this regularly and keep it topped off with fresh water, like 2% of folks do.

Consider placing a couple of birdbaths in your garden. This ground-level one is a good way to give non-flying critters a drink.

These signs are all within 2 blocks of our house.

If you want the nifty sign to show your neighbors you care, it will cost about $30 but with this, you also get a subscription to their magazine which is pretty slick. There are several designations from single-family to corporate and school certifications. You can even get neighborhood certification if you get enough folks to hop aboard.

So, there you have it. How to be a gorilla AND how to do your part to make our planet more wildlife-friendly.

Till next time,

PUT ON YOUR CAMO AND GO PLANT A TREE! (when the rain returns)

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