When I found out that guerilla gardeners were about to descend on our fair city, I decided to investigate. Theresa, who helped found DC Guerilla Gardeners, told me about their first-ever event – coming up this Sunday – and how the group came to be. Read on:
The D.C. Guerilla Gardeners is brand new. I started it because I’ve been interested in urban gardening and guerilla gardening but there didn’t seem to be any groups in the area that were geared toward this type of activity.
I honestly think that my interest in urban gardening is the result of my love of graffiti and street art. I’ve developed a real interest in street art as I’ve walked through D.C. and discovered the work of local artists, such as Diabetik. I get such joy in seeing something creative where it, arguably, doesn’t belong. Seeing how a blank wall can be turned into a thing of interest, a topic of discussion, made me wonder about the other blank canvases in the city: empty lots, sidewalk cut-outs, abandoned garden beds.
My first experiment in gardening came in the form of the sidewalk cut-out in front of my boyfriend’s D.C. rowhouse. A sad tree grew there, buried in a dismal mound of depleted soil. Looking at that spot every day made my heart ache, so I marched myself into a local nursery, bought some things that looked interesting, and set off on a frustrating yet rewarding gardening experience. I watched my azaleas die and wondered why, when the succulents planted near them took so well. I cry when people tramp through my Coral Bells (Heuchera) and break their purple leaves. I sit and pick out discarded cigarettes, straw wrappers, and paper cups from between the fragile leaves of my sedum.
I love that little piece of Earth, and I’ve been told by my boyfriend’s neighbors that they do, too. Knowing that someone else enjoys seeing those plants grow despite the odds, has impassioned me to plant again. And it seems that I’m not the only one. The response to D.C. Guerilla Gardeners has been positive and sincere.
You can join the movement this Sunday:
* What: The FIRST-EVER D.C. Guerilla Gardeners Event! Woo!
* When: Sunday, April 18, 2010
* Time: 10am – Completion
* Where: T Street NW at Vermont Avenue NW
* More Where: Location is one block from the U Street/African American Civil War Memorial Metro stop on the Green Line.
* Bring: Bottled water (for yourself to drink), sunscreen (we like to make things green, not red), gardening gloves, your preferred garden tools (spade, trowel, shovel, etc.)*
* RSVP: If you’re so inclined, let D.C. Guerilla Gardeners know you’re coming so that we can be sure to bring enough snacks. Did I say, “Snacks?” I SURE DID! There will be snacks, oh yes indeedio.
