One of the more interesting Green trends that have captured the limelight recently is the illegal phenomenon known as “guerilla gardening.”

It likely already is sprouting around Asheville, where such a concept surely would be welcome in many ecologically conscious circles.

The phenomenon has been described as a global movement of the grass-roots variety where people seek to beautify empty or overgrown public space, usually under the cover of darkness and without the permission of municipal officials.

The movement is believed to have started in New York in the 1970s, where guerilla gardeners have achieved their ultimate goal — gardens planted without permission are now maintained by the city’s parks-and-recreation department. Others cities that are following the Big Apple’s example include London and Los Angeles.

“What we’re fighting is neglect,” guerilla-gardening guru Richard Reynolds of London, founder of the Web site guerillagardening.org, told The Associated Press recently.

Getting approval to beautify public property can be cumbersome, so guerilla gardeners in cities worldwide take matters into their own hands.

“We try not to let bureaucracy stand in our way,” accountant Steven Coker told The AP, who maintains an unsanctioned garden across from his house near an exit of the Santa Monica Freeway in West Los Angeles.

In Coker’s case, he has tried several times to officially take over the upkeep of the garden, but to no avail.
These “gangsters of Green” often operate in the wee hours, transforming the blight into bloom with bushes and flowers in places that no doubt need landscaping help. Since they deliberately have no official leader, if they are questioned by local law-enforcement officials, nobody can be traced as the instigator since they also make sure nobody knows anybody’s real identity in guerilla-gardening missions.

The AP quotes Los Angeles Councilman Tom LaBonge as saying he supports guerilla gardening — as long as people don’t present a safety hazard or impede traffic. Ironically, LaBonge himself admits to being a guerilla gardener, although he claims he mainly is “just a maintenance guy. I pull weeds when I’m out walking. Everyone is welcome to do it. The city needs help.”

Other individuals in the movement have different agendas. For instance, Scott Bunnell, who has kept a guerilla garden in median in Long Beach for about 10 years, said he wants to demonstrate that low-maintenance gardens are possible, in Southern California’s desert climate.

“Maybe I can help (show) municipalities, cities and whatnot by using dry, tolerant plants ... that they could make good use of the landscape,” Bunnell said.

 In L.A. and many other cities, gardening on public land without a permit is against the city code.

“Still, many who guerilla garden in Los Angeles and elsewhere said they’ve never faced any legal threats,” The AP reported. “Oftentimes, police or other city workers will stop and ask what the gardeners are doing, then move on when they hear the innocent answer, ‘I’m gardening.’”

As result of law-enforcement leniency, some guerilla gardeners have moved into the sunlight with their work.

While anarchy can be a dangerous and socially chaotic policy, in this case it’s hard to see any negative aspects stemming from this illegal practice.

Perhaps the worst concerns would be traffic and safety issues for the guerilla gardeners.

Even if someone were to plant trees, bushes and flowers in a less-than-stellar arrangement, the addition of these beautiful plants still is an improvement over a wasteland area on public property.

What’s more, as municipal governments are tightening their budgets all the time, the volunteer citizen input and effort from guerilla gardners should be welcomed.