Slaying Dragons – Felon Dreaming

“The First Rays of Sunlight” – Frick Park – Pittsburgh, PA – An older photograph… But perfectly suited for this poem… This cairn is a representation of how I want to feel… I want rays of sunshine… Not the black cloud often seen following me…

Eyes on the ceiling… Back to the ground…
Rain drops drop in a rhythmic sound…
Thinking about how my life would be…
Living without heroin and a felony…

My arms show the scars of a million pricks…
Result of a mountain of heroin bricks…
Experience that only earned me a fight…
Desire to live lies in my will to write…

Writing is my last shot at redemption…
Art and photography my only salvation…
The few worlds where pain gets you paid…
One of the trades I bring in spades…

No options but to carve my own path…
Stand up and give the haters my wrath…
Take away my voice but can’t take my pen…
Thanks to God I still have a friend…

My only option is to continue writing…
Accept reality and continue fighting…
I will never be a part of the white-collar crowd…
Searching for a way to make someone proud…

Looking for a reason… A will to live…
A continuing reason to charitably give…
Locked out of opportunity… Left alone…
Societal failure… I’m on my own…

Can’t look down I gotta keep looking up…
When my glass is half empty I’ll hit you with my cup…
The world always seems to be pushing me down…
The jokes on you… My best work is on the ground…

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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The Guerrilla Gardening Guidebook – Safety

“Beauty and the Beast” – Lamar Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA – If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would be gardening here… I would have laughed…

Safety

This post is part of a larger body of work titled ”The Guerrilla Gardening Guidebook”. For the introduction and table of contents please click here…

I originally posted this post with the title “Safety in the Urban Jungle”, it was popular and fit this series so I am posting it again wearing a new edit and photos… Hope you enjoy!…

I like to think that I write about experience, experience tells me I need to write about safety! Most people probably don’t consider gardening a dangerous hobby, and it normally isn’t when performed on the safety of your own property. Technically speaking, the moment you step on to property that isn’t yours, you are guilty of trespassing, alter the property in any way, and now it’s vandalism, remove anything… and it’s burglary… Which is a felony in PA!

Most of the time what you are doing will be seen as a good thing, and you will find support from the neighbors. Occasionally your presence will not be accepted, and it’s time to do some serious soul-searching. As with any “wild” area like a severely blighted urban community, you will encounter hazards that will need to be dealt with. This post is to relate some of the safety lessons I have learned while guerrilla gardening in a blighted community.

I would like to mention that while a lot of people believe guerilla gardening is a new thing, it has been around for a long time. Contrary to popular belief, guerilla gardenings roots have nothing to do with food, and everything to do with drugs. The first “guerilla gardeners” were pot farmers, the term was coined by them for the obvious “renegade” aspect of what they were doing. Wikipedia claims it was coined in New York in 1973, the term was used much earlier than that though.

I think the most important rule that I could possibly write about is “know your surroundings”, I seriously can’t stress this enough. When you are doing “anything” in a sketchy area be aware of everything, and everyone around you. If you are about to walk through an area that you think is suspect, it doesn’t hurt to be preparing a mental plan on what you would do if something goes wrong.

I have been in several situations where I was obviously being followed for whatever reason, I don’t carry cash and only had garden tools on me. After identifying the situation I immediately made myself as visible as possible by walking in the street and heading for the closest, most occupied area I could. I know at least a few people on every street and was able to make it a friend’s house, the guy walked past the house and waited on the corner for me to leave. I was able to wait him out but this could have been so much worse, I am lucky to know someone in at least 50% of the neighborhoods in Wilkinsburg.

“Miss Lorna’s Daf” – Whitney Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA – When working near a street… Always face the street…

I think “keeping a low profile” is a logical rule, but just in case I’m going to cover it. Blending in with your surroundings can save your life, if you walk around looking like you have money… well… people will think you have money. Just the simple fact of looking “normal” can be the difference, skip the straw farmers hat! A great secret is to figure out what color shirts your local DPW wear, then purchase several shirts in that color, makes you look a little more “official”. Sometimes the situation will put you in regular contact with people, always say hello and speak if spoken to… remember that they are now your neighbors, and will play a huge part in the success or failure of your garden.

Sometimes it is acceptable to garden in plain sight, in the case of food production you should consider hiding it. I have found that allowing people to freely pick is not always a good thing, people damage plants and often take unripe, or way more than they could possibly personally use. Now when I have non-gardeners on my sites I always spend time educating on the “harvesting” aspect of gardening. Gardens used as a protest, memorial or beautification should obviously be visible, public guerilla gardening efforts have issues as well.

I pride myself on my ability to completely zone out while I garden, this was a tough one to break. If you have the ability to work as a team I would recommend a spotter, someone to have your back. Guerilla gardening requires you to be aware of everything around you, even while you work you should be aware of everything. I was taught this lesson by an 11-year-old boy, he was always trying to find me and sneak up on me. He got close enough to reach out and touch me on several occasions, one time I almost punched him in the face, this was a huge wake up call.

If someone can get close enough to touch you while you are gardening, then they are close enough to rob you. When you do get approached by a stranger, stand up immediately, face them head on and NEVER get caught with your pants down. Consider a 6′ perimeter around yourself “personal space” and do not let them in it, if they do break that perimeter let them know you want “personal space”, they will normally understand, if they don’t “SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT”, act accordingly!

Things you may find can harm you as well, caution should be taken with anything that you come in contact with. Guns should always be considered loaded and lethal, age weakens components and can make it very dangerous. If you ever find a gun, leave it as you found it and immediately call the police, they will respond quickly.

“C is for Cookie” – Taylor Way – Wilkinsburg, PA – I was out photographing an alley on the other side of Wilkinsburg when I came across this hat… As I was photographing this hat a man came out of a house and told me to “mind my business”… Which I did… It wasn’t until later that I realized this was a meeting point… Some things never change…

Drug dealers don’t keep their drugs and guns at home with them, they often stash them nearby in a vacant house or yard. If you ever find one of these stashes, “DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING!!!” 9 out of 10 times you ARE BEING WATCHED, they do not stray far from the stash. Your best chance of leaving this situation with your life is to walk away like you saw nothing, I would forget I ever saw it and if anything tell someone else what you saw and let them call the police. Basically I am saying if you ever find yourself in this situation the most important thing is to get as far away, as quickly as possible. What you do from that point forward is on you, but your physical safety should be considered.

Animals can also be a serious problem with dogs being the most common, and often the most dangerous. I have always had an unexplainable thing with animals and rarely have problems, but it does happen. Dogs are almost always curious animals that don’t want to hurt you, extreme home environments are the problem. Starvation, neglect, fighting, abuse and torture of dogs does happen, this can turn an otherwise friendly dog into a killing machine.

If you encounter an animal in this condition after you secure your own life you need to report it to the police, they can handle it. Mace can be a good dog deterrent, and is rather effective on humans as well. I was planting pumpkins in the backyard of the house across the street, I heard the barking before I even saw it. The biggest, scariest pit bull I have ever seen was hauling ass right towards me, I spent the next two hours chain-smoking cigarettes locked in the kitchen of an abandoned house.

Hypodermic needles can also be commonplace, with blight comes pain. Never ever touch a used needle, if you have to do it, wear protection. If finding needles becomes commonplace, talk to a doctor or hospital and acquire a used needle box with a safety lid. Paramedics and police will respond when called about a dirty needle, they have the equipment needed to recover used needles. Basically the safest thing you can do is dial “911″, they would rather pick up a needle than pick you up after stabbing yourself.

In closing I just want to stress how important being aware of your surroundings at all times is, this WILL save your life. The boy scouts have a motto “Always Be Prepared” that I think applies nicely here, keep your head up. Guerilla gardeners fight blight with beauty, wherever there is vacant land you will find us in one form or another.

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

This site… And all the photographs and information presented within are provided free of charge by the author… I am not affiliated with any product or business… Only myself… Writing this blog takes a ton of time… If you find any of this information helpful, please consider purchasing a print from my online store… It is obviously not a requirement… But it helps…

I sell prints of my photography here – http://www.society6.com/chriscondello Or you can contact me directly at c.condello@hotmail.com for commissions or locally/personally produced prints… Thank you for reading…

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

The Guerrilla Gardening Guidebook – Traffic

“Aster on Mini Bus” – Whitney Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA – Where on street parking is a thing, I recommend staying away from the hell strip… Damage to your garden is unavoidable… People are not always paying attention when they open their car door… Or they step out of the car right onto your garden… If you must plant a garden then I suggest creeping groundcovers…

Traffic

This post is part of a larger body of work titled ”The Guerrilla Gardening Guidebook”. For the introduction and table of contents please click here…

Cars, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles will all have a major impact on the success or failure of a guerrilla garden placed within 10 feet of a street or sidewalk. Even tall curbs will not stop a careless delivery driver from backing 5 feet into an urban yard, and for some reason they always spin tire in the grass or garden that they have just reversed into… My theory as to why this happens is once a man has made a fool of himself, it is of the utmost importance that he drive that point home.

Trees and utility poles will often be your guide in determining traffic. The street I currently live on is a dead-end, no cul-de-sac and no place to turn around. To make things worse, GPS shows my street as a through way… Which it is most certainly not… All of the utility poles on my street bend away from the road, the street trees really show the signs of repeated abuse, leaning imposingly into the sidewalk making sidewalk passage all but impossible.

Bicycles and motorcycles can also be a problem. Motorcycles, in my neighborhood at least, are not typically parked on the street. Bicycles that are not brought indoors, are chained to a sign, utility pole, or street tree. The important thing to remember when dealing with these types of problems is most people are not aware that guerrilla gardening/urban gardening is even a thing. These are not situations to get upset over, don’t think along the lines of eliminating the problem… Think along the lines of accommodation… Oftentimes, the answer is as simple as facilitating the motorcycle with a pad… Or creating a space for the bicycles… Urban and guerrilla gardens require one to think outside the box in “every” aspect of creation and maintenance, the truly creative gardeners will be the ones who withstand the test of time.

“Blue by the Red Bricks” – Whitney Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA – Brick roads become slick in the rain… A moving car should always be considered a hazard… Always pay attention to your surroundings…

Speeding and out of control traffic can also be a safety concern for the guerrilla gardener. A moving car or truck is a deadly weapon that will kill you. When gardening in high traffic locations, I recommend wearing high visibility clothing, never turning your back to traffic, and always working with a spotter. Safety should always be factored when choosing guerrilla gardening sites, many of the unmaintained areas near roads are unmaintained for a reason… Safety… If it is too dangerous for the professionals, then it is probably to dangerous for the guerrilla gardener… That’s why we have “Seed Bombs”…

Even cars parked on the street can affect nearby gardens, plants typically get trampled when people carelessly exit their vehicles. The only plants that seem to succeed are the ones planted next to utility poles and signs. These plants will still suffer some abuse from people walking by, but they will be at least somewhat protected from direct traffic. The most frustrating thing I encounter is when someone walking down the sidewalk picks tulips or flowers along the street, I could understand one or two but some people will walk along kicking them or pulling them out of the ground by the stem… Very frustrating…

My hometown of Pittsburgh is known for having a lot of pot holes, so when I saw photos on the internet of someone in England gardening in them… I had to give it a try… My first attempt lasted only 15 seconds, it was run over faster than I could even get my camera out. I tried it again a few days later, but again I was thwarted. I quickly realized two things… America is probably not quite ready for pot hole gardening… And that 99% of the photos I saw of pot hole gardens probably were taken immediately after planting… The goal of my gardening campaign is longevity… I want them to look nice… And produce food for as long as possible…

To close this article I would like to stress that while gardening near a street can have some drawbacks, nothing looks nicer than a beautifully maintained hell strip or road berm… And what makes it even cooler is the fact that it was gardened in a renegade fashion without government money. Although some damage is to be expected, in my own experiences, once a garden has matured and the plants reached a decent size the likelihood of something getting trampled decreases greatly. If you can get your garden through the first month, typically it will row large enough to force people to park somewhere else… Or at least far enough away from the curb to easily exit their vehicle without damaging themselves or their car.

“Garden Photo Bomb” – The Garden Table Urban Garden – Rebecca Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA – A full lot urban garden built two years ago… I have done everything but put up a fence in an attempt to keep thieves out… Sadly… A fence is next…

First time guerrilla gardeners, often make the mistake of putting the entire garden out there for people to see. This is a rookie mistake that often goes punished by the theft, or vandalism of the garden. I learned early on that a “cut” through the middle of a garden does nothing but invite trouble. Every situation will be different, but a few simple guidelines and lessons learned may be able to help you in your final choice.

Vacant lots in urban areas quickly become short cuts, foot traffic will present as a trail through the grass and weeds. Initial attempts to remediate this situation, by whatever means, is almost always met with hostility. Locals who have often been using the “cut” as a regular means of travel are often quick to remove whatever blockade has been installed. The usual response I have received is that it has been a cut for a long time, and I have no right to block it. This is typically a tricky situation, my advise is to attempt to claim ownership, without actually claiming anything. No Trespassing signs can be surprisingly effective when placed in a very noticeable place, you may have to enforce it a few times but it will eventually get your point across. As a last resort you can always accommodate by re-routing the cut through an outside path, foot traffic is never a good thing when vegetables are concerned.

Gardens placed near roads and sidewalks, though cool, rarely last longer than a few years unless placed in a more aware location. Hell strip gardening, although trendy enough to warrant a book, is really just a dream in a neighborhood with on-street parking. Flowering plants growing in the cracks of the sidewalk will oftentimes be targeted, very low ground covers and plants that can tolerate regular foot traffic are all that will typically survive. I have found that if there is enough foot traffic to wear a path in the grass and weeds of an unmaintained lot, then the surrounding sidewalks will probably not be suitable for plants of any kind. Beware of social media photographs showing street side and hell strip gardens, most of those photos were taken on the day of, or within the first year of planting… They never show any 2nd or 3rd year pictures – which is one way to spot a trend…

A trick I often employ is to raise street side gardens well above the height of the street or sidewalk. A few flowers growing in the sunken dirt next to a sidewalk often give the impression to the untrained eye as simply being a weed. Even more confusing can be a native/wildflower garden growing… Well… Anywhere… Even borough employees don’t know what an engineered wildflower gardens look like and will quickly weed whack that garden to the ground. A garden should look like a garden, it should look like a spot a person would not want to step. Add soil to raise the level of the garden a few inches off the sidewalk, plant and mulch so the garden is imposing enough to require people to walk around it…

“Danger Rose” – Lamar Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA – Invasive Rose-of-Sharon growing in the yard of a crumbling building… Sometimes… The best option is to just prune and care for what is already growing… I promise when this house comes down you will not want to be keeping a garden next door…

Some foot traffic problems will only show up every once in a while. You may not have a problem all Summer, then a church opens a Summer camp for two weeks and the added traffic of children will be the nail in the coffin. My first guerrilla garden was having issues early Sunday mornings. Something, or someone was coming through and picking vegetables and throwing them at the abandoned houses behind the garden. It turned out to be a family walking to church, the parents didn’t even attempt to stop their kids. So I woke up really early one Sunday morning and positioned myself strategically in the tomato plants. An hour later I had caught them red-handed, even the parents were participating. I calmly explained myself, and asked them to quit. I did not stop them from walking through the garden, I just simply explained my intentions. We still say hello to each other to this day!

When traffic is unavoidable, but you absolutely must stop it, planting a tree or quick-growing shrub may be your only option. The idea here is to plant something opposable enough to force someone around it. Conifers often shine in this situation, with many varieties being rather quick growers with the added benefit of being covered in a dense layer of needles. “Knockout” and “Double-Knockout” Roses also make excellent barriers tolerant of even the most extreme of parking lot gardens. They tolerate regular pruning, whether by the gardener or passerby. Profusely bloom throughout the gardening season, and grow large enough to effectively block a humans path.

Pedestrian traffic is often unavoidable, but I promise you traffic directly through a garden causes problems. The best advice I can give you is to re-route the traffic elsewhere… A ripe tomato hanging in plain view is a rather tempting sight, it is only a matter of “times passed” before someone decides to steal it. My advice is to avoid the situation altogether and force them to admire from the sidewalk.

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

This site… And all the photographs and information presented within are provided free of charge by the author… I am not affiliated with any product or business… Only myself… Writing this blog takes a ton of time… If you find any of this information helpful, please consider purchasing a print from my online store… It is obviously not a requirement… But it helps…

I sell prints of my photography here – http://www.society6.com/chriscondello Or you can contact me directly at c.condello@hotmail.com for commissions or locally/personally produced prints… Thank you for reading…

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

The Art Of Walking

Your soul connects with you through your thoughts… Thought processes that are born in the brain… Travels down your spine… Through your legs… Into your feet… And finally absorbed by the ground… A combination of sight and touch… That most of us don’t think about…

I know you have seen it… “It”… May be you… Face planted in your iPhone… I’m pretty sure that upon closer inspection… I would find the charger snuggly plugged into your ass… You laugh but it’s true… Mind control?.. You have no idea…

We can’t even walk anymore people… Walking is an art form no one respects… Every step we take is an extension of our mind… It’s a statement… I’m not talking about swag… I’m talking about really thinking about everything that goes on in your head when you walk… All of the variables one has to account for… Do you even think about it?.. You should…

I think about it in great detail… I love to do it… I have spent a lot of time in the woods… Disturb nothing… Touch nothing… It becomes like a dance when you get good at it… Tap a rhythm in your head and you will flow through the forest like water in a pipe…

In the woods trees are the vertical element… Almost all movement will be horizontal in nature… Always watch your horizon… But always watch your feet… Every step is carefully placed… Every movement closely monitored… You never move a branch… You move around the branch… Flow with your surroundings…

I used to know an older woman I affectionately called t-rex… Not because of the way she looked… But because of the fact that her vision was based on movement… Like the t-rex in Jurassic park… She was hard to talk to… And pretty annoying… I somehow figured out that  if I froze in my tracks she couldn’t see me… Worked every time… Problem solved… This works for so many people… Try it out sometime…

camouflage is a state of mind… Moving only when there is a distraction… It has nothing to do with how you are dressed… It is the way you think… Waiting for the perfect moment… You want to open up your mind… Flex your senses… Feel your surroundings… See or be seen… Always be the first to see… That is the secret… You should always know who is around you… Before they know you are around them… Always give yourself the upper hand…

When I was still using I never wanted you to see me… Everything I did was sneaky… I’m a deep thinker and I have gotten pretty good at walking… *woopty freaking doo right!*… I know… No big deal… I can walk…

I guess I have one question I would like to ask you… Can you?..

And I’m not talking about the mindless straight line walking we all do… I’m talking about taking the scenic route every once in a while… It may not be as fast… But who knows what you will find… Beauty… Treasure… Friends… Anything is possible… If you allow yourself the time and freedom to explore… Not at sixty miles per hour… Slowly… Cautiously… Aware… accepting the fact that you may not find anything… Except yourself…

every step should be as if it was your last – chriscondello

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Guerilla Gardening Safety

I like to think that I write about experience, experience tells me I need to write about safety! Most people probably don’t consider gardening a dangerous hobby, and it normally isn’t in the safety of your own property. Technically speaking, the moment you step on to property that isn’t yours you are guilty of trespassing, alter the property in any way and now it’s vandalism, remove anything… and it’s burglary… Which is a felony in PA!

Most of the time what you are doing will be seen as a good thing and you will find support from the neighbors, but occasionally your presence will not be accepted and it’s time to do some serious soul-searching. As with any “wild” areas like a severely blighted urban community, you will encounter hazards that will need to be dealt with. This post is to relate some of the safety lessons I have learned while gardening in random places.

I would like to mention that while a lot of people believe guerilla gardening is a new thing, it has been around for a long time. Contrary to popular belief guerilla gardening roots have nothing to do with food, and everything to do with drugs. The first “guerilla gardeners” were pot farmers, the term was coined by them for the obvious “renegade” aspect of what they were doing. Wikipedia claims it was coined in New York in 1973, the term was used much earlier than that though.

I think the most important rule that I could possibly write about is “know your surroundings”, I seriously can’t stress this enough. When you are doing “anything” in a sketchy area be aware of everything, and everyone around you. If you are about to walk through an area that you think is suspect, it doesn’t hurt to be preparing a mental plan on what you would do if something goes wrong.

I have been in several situations where I was obviously being followed for whatever reason, I don’t carry cash and only had garden tools on me. After identifying the situation I immediately made myself as visible as possible by walking in the street and heading for the closest, most occupied area I could. I know at least a few people on every street and was able to make it a friend’s house, the guy walked past the house and waited on the corner for me to leave. I was able to wait him out but this could have been so much worse, I am lucky to know someone in at least 50% of the neighborhoods in Wilkinsburg.

I think “keeping a low profile” is a logical rule, but just in case I’m going to cover it. Blending in with your surroundings can save your life, if you walk around looking like you have money… well… people will think you have money. Just the simple fact of looking “normal” can be the difference, skip the straw farmers hat! A great secret is to figure out what color shirts your local DPW wear, then purchase several shirts in that color, makes you look a little more “official”. Sometimes the situation will put you in regular contact with people, always say hello and speak if spoken to… remember that they are now your neighbors, and will play a huge part in the success or failure of your garden.

Sometimes it is acceptable to garden in plain sight, in the case of food production you should consider hiding it. I have found that allowing people to freely pick is not always a good thing, people damage plants and often take unripe, or way more than they could possibly personally use. Now when I have non-gardeners on my sites I always spend time educating on the “harvesting” aspect of gardening. Gardens used as a protest, memorial or beautification should obviously be visible, public guerilla gardening efforts have issues as well.

I pride myself on my ability to completely zone out while I garden, this was a tough one to break. If you have the ability to work as a team I would recommend a spotter, someone to have your back. Guerilla gardening requires you to be aware of everything around you, even while you work you should be aware of everything. I was taught this lesson by an 11-year-old boy, he was always trying to find me and sneak up on me. He got close enough to reach out and touch me on several occasions, one time I almost punched him in the face, this was a huge wake up call.

If someone can get close enough to touch you while you are gardening, then they are close enough to rob you. When you do get approached by a stranger, stand up immediately, face them head on and NEVER get caught with your pants down. Consider a 6′ perimeter around yourself “personal space” and do not let them in it, if they do break that perimeter let them know you want “personal space”, they will normally understand, if they don’t “SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT”, act accordingly!

Things you may find can harm you as well, caution should be taken with anything that you come in contact with. Guns should always be considered loaded and lethal, age weakens components and can make it very dangerous. If you ever find a gun leave it as you found it and immediately call the police, they will respond quickly.

Drug dealers don’t keep their drugs and guns at home with them, they often stash them nearby in a vacant house or yard. If you ever find one of these stashes, “DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING!!!” 9 out of 10 times you ARE BEING WATCHED, they do not stray far from the stash. Your best chance of leaving this situation with your life is to walk away like you saw nothing, I would forget I ever saw it and if anything tell someone else what you saw and let them call the police. Basically I am saying if you ever find yourself in this situation the most important thing is to get as far away, as quickly as possible. What you do from that point forward is on you, but your physical safety should be considered.

Animals can also be a serious problem with dogs being the most common, and often the most dangerous. I have always had an unexplainable thing with animals and rarely have problems, but it does happen. Dogs are almost always curious animals that don’t want to hurt you, extreme home environments are the problem. Starvation, neglect, fighting, abuse and torture of dogs does happen, this can turn an otherwise friendly dog into a killing machine.

If you encounter an animal in this condition after you secure your own life you need to report it to the police, they can handle it. Mace can be a good dog deterrent, and is rather effective on humans as well. I was planting pumpkins in the backyard of the house across the street, I heard the barking before I even saw it. The biggest, scariest pit bull I have ever seen was hauling ass right towards me, I spent the next two hours chain-smoking cigarettes locked in the kitchen of an abandoned house.

Hypodermic needles can also be commonplace, with blight comes pain. Never ever touch a used needle, if you have to wear protection, talk to a doctor or hospital and acquire a used needle box with a safety lid. Paramedics and police will respond when called about a dirty needle, they have the equipment needed to recover used needles. Basically the safest thing you can do is dial “911”, they would rather pick up a needle than pick you up after stabbing yourself.

In closing I just want to stress how important being aware of your surroundings at all times is, this WILL save your life. The boy scouts have a motto “Always Be Prepared” that I think applies nicely here, keep your head up. Guerilla gardeners fight blight with beauty, wherever there is vacant land you will find us in one form or another.

by any means necessary ~ chriscondello

Bulbs are one of my absolute favorite guerilla gardening weapons, I call them green land mines! You can hide them under the grass when you plant them in the fall, only to surprise everyone when they unexpectedly come up in the spring…

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.