Guerrillas with Wings
As I can figure, the PR element is what is driving this effort. It seems to be missing some of the key elements for even short term sustainability. You plant it, it comes up and then what? Most plantings require a certain amount of nurturing to get them established. Does the same guerrilla group come back multiple times in the middle of night and water the seeds, bulbs or transplants once planted? What if we have a 3 month drought? Do they come back in February and cut back the dead stuff before spring? How do we know they won’t plant kudzo in the middle of the night? Are these the kind of urban practices we want our community to latch onto? It is quite possible that when the person who has had this wonderful deed bestowed on them decides they don’t like it, they get on the hairy suit and at the strike of midnight alter the situation to their liking. Are we then back to the weed patch of yesteryear?
This whole notion comes at a good time to get those interested in guerrilla gardening to give the Charleston Parks Conservancy a look. The Charleston Park Angel organization is a group poised to address interest in beautifying our communities. The Windermere Community Garden is a prime example of people and groups working together to make for positive change in the landscape. It also has a plan for sustaining the future growth of this landscape.
This parks and greenspace movement needs your ideas, your support and your willigness to get dirty! It is an opportunity to seize the moment and come out in the light and remember, our 10 pound guerrillas don’t wait until dark to beautify Charleston.