Do you ever look at an empty lot, or a sad old, forgotten municipal or commercial landscaping and think about scattering some flower seeds? Or something edible? If it grows, somebody could appreciate it.

These things so often occur on impulse, so couldn't be discussed first, but if there was a support-group post for those who are considering something like propagating some trees for a park that really needs some shade, or throwing some seeds in an empty pot at a gas station or neglected municipal flower bed, tomato or watermelon seeds in an empty lot, we could trade ideas and provide encouragement.

I'm sure we all realize that things like this are subject to the whims and maintenance jobs of other people, and the weather, so one should always approach these things with the assumption that nothing will come of it, but if it works, it was worth a try.

I am not suggesting anyone do anything unethical or illegal, such as trespassing, only positive things, aiming for whatever infinitesimal increase in the world's plant biomass. Random acts of anonymous social kindness and beautification. If you have an opportunity to DO what you would like to see, maybe you will be more likely to take action on the opportunity after reading this, and what will hopefully be encouraging additions and ideas to follow. If one wishes their neighbor had more flowers, or tomato plants, scoffing at their weeds or over-abundance of grass won't help as much as giving the neighbor some flowers or tomato plants, should one be so fortunate and blessed as to be able. Our world can only be as beautiful and productive as the efforts made by any of us.

Absolutely not.
Those areas have owners, whether private individuals or city councils: let THEM take care of THEIR property. The last thing they need is naive Good Samaritans running around doing what THEY are expected to do.

Remember: these are not people in need. They are just lazy, they just flat out don't care or, in the case of city councils, they love ribbon cutting but detest maintenance. Don't encourage them.

I think you misunderstood but I appreciate your response. Thank you.

It always makes me smile when I see a reseeded petunia blooming in the sidewalk gap or a cosmo stoically growing curbside in an urban environment.

It can be something simple like dropping a few seeds in the cracks of the pavement. That one small act can be the start of something wonderful.

Tiffany, there is a small triangle of weeds with a stop sign growing out of it at a rather busy cross street. every time I turn there-twice a day-I get the urge to plant some Knock out Roses underneath the stop sign. this patch of weeds is the "entrance" to our area and it just irks me to see it neglected. my neighbor is all for it. this cross walk used to get the grade school kids but the school has been closed for renovation. mostly it gets dog walkers and baby strollers but it isn't part of the sidewalk. its just a triangle with a stop sign. this would be the perfect spot for guerilla planting. I'm all for it.

A beautiful thought. Those stop signs are horrible weeds. LOL!

My sister lives in Columbus, GA and at the entrance to her neighborhood is one of those "soil islands" that nobody ever takes care of. I know that years ago my BIL would weed-eat it and prepare it for planting. Then my sister would plant different flowers there. Neighbors appeared to appreciate it. Whether "right" or "wrong" to do so, I believe the net outcome was positive. I'm not sure she's still maintaining it or not...she's older now. Who really owns that little spot of soil? They apparently weren't taking care of it and apparently didn't mind someone else beautifying it. Certainly you wouldn't want to plant something exotic that you bought off of eBay and came from China, but annuals or even perennials that are/have been domesticated and aren't invasive should be ok. Sure the "powers that be" might be encouraged not to do anything if someone else is taking care of and beautifying a spot but rest assured that doing nothing isn't going to get them off their lard azzes, either. Sure, you could go to several city council meetings, moan and groan, and eventually a city crew might come out and un-enthused workers could plant "something" and after a while let it go back to weeds or they could come out RoundUp the soil island or cement over it. Or, someone who cares could do some responsible guerrilla planting and put a little beauty in an otherwise sad and forgotten corner. I mean, only people of little character and appreciation for nature and those experiencing past frontal-lobotomies would not understand the positives from these kinds of actions. A flower lifts most anybody's spirit.

I gathered a lot of seeds over the past gardening year, more than I could ever attempt to cultivate. I'm going to offer as many as possible to people who say they want to try to grow them, and then consider what to do with whatever is left over.

I don't think this is really "geurrilla" gardening, but my neighbors let me seed native perrenials below their mailbox. Usually it's antennaria, phlox (moss phlox), black eyed susans..

I think you need to get permission. Not everyone likes the same things, such as female gingko trees planted near the bus stop. Or the "natural" gardens some folks put in to replace their lawns. Some of us like having a fire break around our houses, and don't appreciate the rats, mice, and snakes who flock to those urban "wildlife" plantings. Perhaps spaces are no longer maintained because of traffic hazards or soil contamination. I'm sure there are guidelines in different areas for street plantings so they don't become an issue. Find out if there are gardening groups in your area who volunteer to maintain public spaces. If not, perhaps you could get one started.

I don't think people will be guerrilla planting female ginkos and vacant lots can grow up in dog fennel or zinnias. Where there is a void "something" will fill it. I had rather have fancy flowers than sticky sand spurs. I see no problem guerrilla planting as long as it's not a noxious plant of some kind.

Back in my traveling days... I would occasionally turn soil and plant whatever seeds I had... including taters!

Never did make it back to any of those plantings... except one... where I'd planted walnuts.... only to see that soil had been disturbed and little of what I'd planted remained....

When people don't actually have land of their own, but crave to plant something... I have planted the abandoned lot next door when living in an apt. and put in raised beds in the front lawn of a duplex a gf was renting... no issues... even put in a nice circle bed around a large magnolia where another gf lived... Those landlords seemed perfectly happy with those gardens.

Unfortunately tossing a seed bomb onto an area that hasn't been prepared is unlikely to produce much... Although... there was one occasion when I swept out the van I was driving at the time onto some bare ground... there were a nice patch of flowers there...for a while... until they built another house in that lot.

Beautiful memories! The fact that the results of these efforts were temporary makes them even more special, IMVHO, things to enjoy while they last.

@Intheswamp, I apologize because I was a little salty after reading a different article on this site right before I saw this post. There was more old curmudgeon rant about inappropriate urban plantings than necessary. But I won't take it back. While it is always easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission, you just don't know what you don't know. @purpleinopp, I came really close to doing exactly what you are pondering not long after the big derecho a couple of years ago. My young neighbor went out first, and simply cleaned up storm damage. While he was at it, he picked up the broken fence posts and rusty barbed wire from the border with the field behind our houses. (Where I was contemplating a wildflower meadow...) Then my neighbor got chewed out by some local officials for doing what he'd done, and I got mad. I'm not bashful, so I tracked the guy down and bawled him out for getting after my neighbor. Turns out that field is a Brownfield zone. My neighbor was out there in shorts and a hoodie, and that was the bigger issue. Plus, the official was a little bit salty because he didn't have it in his budget to replace the fence. Long story short, I'm so glad I did not create an attractive nuisance back there. What if some little kid got sick getting into something while picking those flowers?

Thank you for the apology, but I didn't think any was necessary from your earlier post. If I knew what kind of responses would be offered, I wouldn't have felt like starting a discussion. And it's unreasonable to even imagine that everyone would support every concept discussed, detractions can force a meaningful and valuable reality into some situations.

This new post is interesting, but more disturbing than anything else. Were you not made aware of this when you purchased the property?

@hawkeye_daddy, no apology needed here, either. Like you I was stating my feelings about the situation. No harm, no foul.

I did learn something new (to me). What a "brownfield" zone is. That's kind of not a good thing. If it's so bad you shouldn't be walking on it then it should be well fenced.

Oh, and I don't take back what I said, either.

Ed, you should be careful. I also learned something new...what dog fennel is. The site I happened upon described it as a "native wildflower." The guy down the street with the "natural" garden would probably just love to cultivate some lol.

If you want to attract bees & small butterflies, dog fennel can suit the purpose. The blooms smell good too. There was one growing right in a corner of our fence for a few years but it wasn't there last year.

I don't take back what I said either.

Dog fennel. It may be good for bees and butterflies but it is one weed I don't hesitate to wipe out if I'm able. We had a back hayfield we rented out to a guy several years ago. There were three other fields included in his rental. Unbeknownst to us he decided not to harvest the hay off of this back field one year. Late the next fall I rode back there and a 35 acre field was so covered in dog fennel that you could not see a vehicle that was parked twenty feet into it. That ended that guy's rental of the property. We rented to another guy and he got a free year's rent just to get the field back in some semblance of a hayfield.

Even more recently was the winter after I got sidelined from gardening due to getting hit by the truck...the dog fennel was terrible that fall/winter and a BIG chore for a dinged-up guy the following spring. The plants have sturdy rootstock and I guess are perennials but they also produce MILLIONS of seeds!!!

Below is a shot of my garden showing the dog fennel growing behind the electric fence...it took over in just a few months...from basically the end of June to probably sometime in September or October when frost hit it...the first picture is from December 15th. Not really impenetrable but those dog fennel plants produced an incredible amount of seeds. Prior to spring arrival I *carefully* (and with *lots* of effort) removed the stalks, roots, and *seedheads* that I was able to, trying not to disturb the seedheads too much. Regardless of my efforts the following summer gardening was a struggle against a carpet of dog fennel seedlings.


Dog fennel...no thank you! Not even in a vacant lot.