2181.David Loftus is a local writer and performer who, while I've not seen him in performace, I've read his writings sometimes in The Big O and found them most nifty. Also, he's a habitue of the Harlan Ellison message boards, where he writes with a dry yet gentle wit.
Not too long ago, he noticed that someone had, in a strip between a pay-parking lot and the sidewalk near his downtown home that had been a collection point for urban detritus like "weeds, trash, and dog poop", some enterprising fellow downtowner had actually started to grow garden plants. Like tomatoes – chili peppers – eggplant. Food plants.
The tenablilty of the impromptu garden seemed doubtful, so he decided to give them a bit of a hand. Thus, guerilla gardening:
With that, an help from other anonymous gardener-American insurgents, the plants actually started to stand a fighting chance. Which, of course, attracted (as it is wont to do) the roving eye of The Man, who has stated that he/she/it will remove the garden – which we must assume has either proved to be either a public health hazard or perhaps has actually assaulted someone – by tomorrow, Monday, 3 August 2009, if the plants aren't transplanted before then.
For his part, David has promised to take a folding chair, a cool drink, a digital camera, and something to read and wait for 'em. He hopes you'll stop by and visit: It's on SW 10th Avenue between Columbia and Clay streets. Get your picture taken with the condemned plants – or help win them a reprieve, who knows?
I mean, c'mon folks – they're vegetables! These are supposed to be good for you! Five servings a day! Work with us here!
Technorati Tags: PDX, Portland, Portlanders, Portland Style, liff in PDX, David Loftus
Not too long ago, he noticed that someone had, in a strip between a pay-parking lot and the sidewalk near his downtown home that had been a collection point for urban detritus like "weeds, trash, and dog poop", some enterprising fellow downtowner had actually started to grow garden plants. Like tomatoes – chili peppers – eggplant. Food plants.
The tenablilty of the impromptu garden seemed doubtful, so he decided to give them a bit of a hand. Thus, guerilla gardening:
I decided to help 'em out. I borrowed a key from my building's maintenance guy and filled a pair of my own buckets, repeatedly, at one of the exterior spigots along the outer walls of our building, and repeatedly walked diagonally across an intersection to get to the parched greenery. It took five trips, with 2-1/4 gallon buckets, to water them all -- maybe a total of 22 gallons.
With that, an help from other anonymous gardener-American insurgents, the plants actually started to stand a fighting chance. Which, of course, attracted (as it is wont to do) the roving eye of The Man, who has stated that he/she/it will remove the garden – which we must assume has either proved to be either a public health hazard or perhaps has actually assaulted someone – by tomorrow, Monday, 3 August 2009, if the plants aren't transplanted before then.
For his part, David has promised to take a folding chair, a cool drink, a digital camera, and something to read and wait for 'em. He hopes you'll stop by and visit: It's on SW 10th Avenue between Columbia and Clay streets. Get your picture taken with the condemned plants – or help win them a reprieve, who knows?
I mean, c'mon folks – they're vegetables! These are supposed to be good for you! Five servings a day! Work with us here!
Technorati Tags: PDX, Portland, Portlanders, Portland Style, liff in PDX, David Loftus
1 comment:
My husband has been planting fruit trees in the median (carefully chosen within the Urban Forestry guidelines) and in parking lot islands.
Fruit trees are great because they don't require a whole lot of maintenance once they're established.
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