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Guerrilla Gardening

“We learn from history that we do not learn from history.” – Georg Hegel in his 1830 “Lectures on the Philosophy of World History”

It is the “limiting factor” that ultimately defines any public space project. Master of the Obvious? Of course, but time and time again, the impossible is attempted with miserably predictable results. Here are the Top Five reasons for park planting failures:

1) The project is usually designed by a committee.

2) The budget is usually too small.

3) Inevitably the priority areas have little or no access to water.

4) Most public spaces are too public for the health of the plantings.

5) The “No Maintenance” concept of gardening lives on!

Is success impossible? Not at all! Go ahead and form that committee to collate the survey of public opinion. Everyone needs a say, but then narrow the conceptual scope of the project down to reality. Next, find the money, because one can’t buy a Cadillac on a Ford Escort budget. Utilize memorial donations to sponsor trees or garden spaces. Benches are nice, but just about every community has enough! Then, be realistic. Not all spaces should be planted. Playgrounds and flowerbeds don’t mix! Intensive annual beds at the “Welcome to Town” sign can’t be watered out of watering cans. And, high traffic areas just get the snot stomped out of ‘em, so the green lawn desert may be the only viable option!

Once the background work has been done, then and only then, hire a local contractor who has a proven track record in the community. Explain your needs and then trust his or her skills and experience to form the final plan. That’s why you hired them, right?

Real life challenge: The Sister Bay / Liberty Grove Library Board is seeking input regarding the green space behind their branch of the Door County Library. The survey is one page long and a veritable cubic yard of ideas are discussed on that page. However, in the end, the entire project is defined by just one limiting factor. Right at the top of the page is a sentence that begins “While it is necessary to save room for the possible future expansion of the library building…”

Real life solution: Budget, Mobility and Distance. First, be sure there’s money to maintain whatever is eventually planted. For Beware Volunteers – they’re like annuals and you’re lucky if they last the season! Second, for mobility, use big pots. Nothing smaller than a thirty-six inch diameter container. Bigger is better and plastic has come a long way, Baby, so check it out! Finally, in the distance, away from future expansion, plant a great tree. Not as in “ornamental,” but rather as in “monumental!” We’re talking Shade Tree, Folks! And, spend the big bucks and bring in at least a four-inch caliper beauty so it’s got presence immediately. In the end, what better place to read a book than in the cool grass under a tree’s arching boughs? Sigh. But, who’s got time?!?