Guerilla Garden

It may not be the most beautiful garden in town but it's easily the coolest.

Two years ago, a fire destroyed the three story building that sat on this lot (depsite being directly across the street from the fire station). Since then the lot has sat vacant along an otherwise busy block in downtown Montpelier. I'm not sure of all of the details as to why the owner hasn't rebuilt or sold the lot but it doesn't matter; what matters is the guerilla garden idea.

Last summer, without any consent from the property owner, people started planting stuff in the vacant lot. This year, a few more plants were added, the rock border was laid out and the signs were hung (the small sign on the ground with the turtle says "Take Back").

The reason I like this gangly little garden so much is that it speaks to the desire for a sense of community in Montpelier. People care what a vacant lot looks like. People care that the lot sits vacant. People care what happens in their town. People want a vibrant downtown that furnishes that community. And whatever reasons that stand in the way of the owner rebuilding, they aren't going to stop those people from expressing their feelings.

It's a runt of a garden but it speaks well of the town.