Poster Pocket Plants

Taking an active role in greening the streets has seen guerilla gardeners become ever more creative.   One of our favourite approaches comes from Canada, and has been featured a few times on Wooster Collective.   With the unique aspect of only bringing in the planted material itself, Sean Martindale and Eric Cheung’s Poster Pocket Plants use the paper from advertising material to form a little cradle that becomes the planter.

Care is taken to scatter the pockets in a staggered pattern, so that water will drain from one plant to the next.   In some neighbourhoods, anonymous members of the community have been observed to adopt the plants.  Watering, trimming, adding new flowers and replacing those that go missing… people are experiencing a shift in awareness and a new appreciation of the public spaces.  

You can find a thorough article about the process at The Torontoist.   Read on to learn how Sean and Eric embarked on a quest to “activate public space,” introducing nature “to the urban environment in ways that might encourage others to do the same, or to at least consider such possibilities.”

It is interesting to note that the pocket planters are only installed on illegally posted advertising material.  In addressing a medium that is unofficial and unregulated, many people find that Sean and Eric’s efforts bring a much appreciated freshness and vibrance to the grit of the city streets.

Poster Pocket Plants are documented in a Picasa Gallery and Blog.