Back in March we talked a bit about Guerrilla Grafters, a group of people in The SF Bay Area who " collect branches from the California Rare Fruit Growers association or pick up donated branches from backyard gardeners and regional orchards. This bud stock is then grafted onto existing non-bearing trees like flowering pears." This is done without the knowledge or permission of the municipality that often oversees their care. Today in Boing-Boing Cory Doctorow say's, " The Guerrilla Grafters are a group of rogue artists who roam San Francisco, covertly grafting fruit-tree branches onto ornamental trees to create a municipal free lunch. John Robb calls it 'resilient disobedience.'"
Interesting to hear the grafters referred to as "rogue artists" and their actions as "civil disobedience". At Resilient Communities John Robb say's, "there’s a group of gardeners in San Francisco that are spreading organic graffiti across the city." "Organic Graffiti" is a term I had not heard before. So these people are not just wayward gardeners grafting bud stock onto street trees, they are "Rogue artists", spreading "Organic Graffiti" through their city.
This is a important change in the way we look at gardening. No longer just something grandma did to beautify her plot of land, but a movement of "rogue artists" spreading "organic graffiti". I think we will see more and more of this as people plant gardens in their front yards, often against the "rules".
Where do these guerrilla grafters get their inspiration, equipment, and knowledge? It's been quite a while since you could just walk in and buy a grafting tool, or budding tape at your local garden center. Is it bought mail order? Do any garden businesses actively court this trend. My guess is the local hydroponic shops, which are already courting "guerrilla gardeners" have the best chance to reach this group. We'll see.