Rogue artists and organic graffiti

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.

Guerilla Gardeners, "dig, drop, done, move on"

The bulb industry is wondering how to invigorate the bulb trade. As we have talked before, bulb sales are way down and the bulb trade is looking for ideas. The have tried the Dig, Drop, and Done campaign, which was panned by most garden centers, and customers. The three ladies who are suppose to represent three different demographics never hit the nerve they we're suppose to.

Seems to me that bulbs would be a perfect match for the guerrilla gardening movement. Since the beauty of bulbs is revealed sometimes months after planting, it's perfect for the delayed gratification that is guerrilla gardening. Guerrilla gardeners savor passing by a "target", and watching the reactions from passerby's. "Who planted these?" someone asks, as the guerrilla gardener smiles to themselves knowing they are responsible.

What if "guerrilla grafters" carried a cache of bulbs along with their grafting bud wood? After grafting their bud wood to the flowering pear tree they drop to the ground, all the while repeating the mantra they we're taught, "Dig, Drop, Done, Move On". Imagine the look of surprise on passerby's when they see pears on formally barren trees, and bulbs sprouting from the soil. "Who did this?" people ask as our guerrilla gardener walks by the site, smiles knowingly, and continues down the street with her bag of recently purchased bulbs in hand. Where will she strike next?

This could be a whole series of fun escapades. Bulb growers, give me jingle if your interested.

Guerrilla Grafters

The mantra repeated in the horticultural trade businesses at this time is, if we don't start a national campaign to promote gardening people will spend time doing something else. But, why go through all the expense and time of that when we have a younger generation that is very interested in horticulture already? The concern for us in the gardening business is they're  just not shopping at the garden center like mom and dad use too. Don't think the younger generations are interested in gardening? Your not looking in the right places. The newest expression of urban gardening is "Guerrilla Grafters". Talk about taking matters into your own hands, literally.  According to SFBay.com "Guerrilla Grafters bring fruit to the masses". According to the article, Tara Hui is one of the founders  of "Guerrilla Grafters, a renegade agricultural group that  fruit-bearing branches onto public trees in the Bay Area for locals to enjoy for free."

According to SFBay, "Volunteers in the Bay Area 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.  In the short video above you can learn what they are trying to accomplish.

There are a host of unanswered questions we could think up about this. That's not the point, however. This crazy interest in grafting and gardening is what catches my attention. Grafting is not always an easy process, yet this 100 member volunteer group has learned how to do it, and are doing it. It is even spreading to other cities and countries. Call it "Guerrilla Grafting" if you like, but it's still a form of gardening. If we in the trade are going to capture these peoples interest and enthusiasm it's not through large campaigns, or media blitzes. It will be by providing the tools they need, and helping them spread the word of how cool gardening is via social media.