Guerrilla Gardening

Extra care and investment via an assist from a neighbor fellow tree pit gardener.  The spent daffodils came from the compost she brought over, and some of the twigs.  Some of the other twigs and roots making up the circle were already there.  This tree pit used to be loved and planted, there were old roots when I dug down, past all the compaction.

Yesterday, early morning, after the overnight rains, at the start of what turned into a most gorgeous, sunny and warm day, before too many heavy-breathing other folks were out and about, was the perfect time to dig up the volunteer maple seedlings and set out to annex a few abandoned and neglected sidewalk tree pits.  (Litany of other tasks notwithstanding; sunny day, life is short, carpe diem.)

The “seven sisters” - the seedlings before the journey out.

I had been scoping out candidate tree pits, back during my commuting days, before the mandatory stay at home order, with the goal to sneak plant the little maples that sprang up last year while the terrace maintenance was happening and the planters could not be watched over.  When I finally had access to the terrace again, the squatting maples were leafing and settled and I felt badly about yanking them out, so they got to stay, and tough it out over Winter.  Hardy little (and decidedly not so little) things - they all survived.  This year I can’t be quite so hospitable - the legit plants need their space and nutrients, and this year the planters have to make way for more and new edibles (COVID-19 food travails and all). The alternative would be the compost bin, and that seems a shame.  So the volunteer maples got dislodged, as gently as I could.

81st near East End, south side.

81st near York, north side.

Happily (or maybe not - considering all the blighted tree pits available), I found unplanted spaces within a three block radius, so I can go and visit them and see how the seven are doing.  Happily, we have a few days with rain in the forecast coming up soon.

York near 84th, east side.

In front of the deli on York, a lovely woman who is a volunteer gardener at Carl Schurz Park happened to walk along out of the blue, observed me, and offered a potful of compost, came back with more compost from a secret pile at the park, string to tie off the tree pit guard to discourage the dogs, and then on the third pass, water in a watering can - so grateful for her!  Turns out she is the guardian of the tree pit in front of Black Star Bakery & Cafe.  Because she invested so much in "my" little tree pit - she even said she would come by every now and then to water it, I decided to put three little seedlings in that one - so that most of her donated compost could be used where she could see it and reap the benefits.  Over time it may get crowded, but these aren't likely to get very big.  There were also other people who came along who offered encouragement and kind words, directly or indirectly - a child walked by asking her mother what "that lady is doing," and the mom said, "it looks like she's digging to plant something and make it look pretty."

84th midblock, south side.

84th near York, south side.

After the deli, the last two tiny seedlings went in by themselves into two empty tree pits on a side street.  And without the nice gardener offering assistance, and the sun stronger and hotter by then, water for the little dears was an issue.  I was going to ask the fruit stand on the corner, but I waffled, thinking about the two dirt coated plastic cups that i was going to ask to be filled, the only vessels I had, the ones that had shielded the seedling root balls as I trudged them around seeking their new homes - not exactly sanitary to take into a food purveyor, especially in COVID times, and any sink would be hidden in the back, maybe in a tight and gross little restroom, or a clean one that they would want kept clean for their employees from being sullied by a crazy guerilla gardener.  Happily, I remembered the laundromat just a bit farther down the block, and as suspected, it had a sink!  I filled the two plastic cups and sloshed back slowly, managing to keep most of the water, and gave the two babies a drink to settle them in.  The last ones were the runts, tiny, wispy things that I worry someone will step on without even seeing them.  Will have to carry water bottles on my next outing from the building so that the seedlings can drink when I visit them.

So, if you live in Yorkville, in the lower 80s within a block of York Avenue, and happen to see a partially un-compacted tree pit with a teeny maple in the middle (or three, in one case), please be gentle with it - and if it looks thirsty and you have some water from your bottle or an ice cube to spare, please give it a drink.  Thanks!

In time, I may go back and sneak drop some seeds of perennials gathered from Carl Schurz Park last year - to give the maples some floral company in their otherwise desolate tree pits - and maybe make the planting look a bit more intentional.  And my reminders of annual events are still coming in (despite cancellation of all events), including for the Park Avenue Tulip Dig - if that is still on (no notice issued yet), in a few weeks, I will head out digging for bulbs to populate the five tree pits.  Hopefully that will encourage neighborhood folks to respect the pits and make space for the little seedlings to grow up into greater maturity.  It may be a somewhat stunted, bonsai-like maturity, considering how compacted the soil is in those tree pits, but heck, better than the compost pile fate, right?

May the Fourth be with the seven sister maple seedlings! 😉

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