A somewhat macabre question to ask but if you are interested in gardening more sustainably and rewilding your part of the city, through guerrilla gardening in particular, it’s an important question. I’ve been reflecting on it after spotting these autumnal tree pits and street pots on a walk earlier this week. They look magnificent but much less fussed over than those I maintain.A simple first question, for example, is can your planting survive without you watering it (after establishing itself)? It was a crucial factor for my planting in tree pits after a couple of years of pouring precious water into, basically, holes in the pavement. Now I forage plants I’ve seen growing in neglected, and therefore unwatered, tree pits. And mulch.
And, what about the competitiveness of the planting you choose? If one of your objectives in rewilding your city is to grow only plants that are suited to the environment, preferably native and hospitable to wildlife, how much will one plant dominate? The question is particularly relevant to a tree pit because of its often small scale and the need to succession plant. In these tree pits, for example, the Euphorbia wulfenii, Pyracantha “Orange Glow” and lavender appear to have squeezed out other plants.
But, as these photos show, these tree pits are all the better for it.
Rewilding the city 