After a long, cold, lonely winter, Mom has joined other residents at her retirement home to beautify a tiny parkette next door. Further east at the gritty intersection of Pape and Cosburn Avenues, her son has delivered a geranium arrangement and is providing TLC to the little perennial garden at Bethany Baptist Church, home to a weekly food bank.

Will you join us?

Take the guerrilla garden challenge!

You can start small with a single plant or tiny tree. Beautify a public space in city or country, and send me a pic of your tiny garden. Or send a short tale about a guerrilla gardener in your neighbourhood. The first five entrants will receive:

— An herb, flower or shrub from my private collection — so pretty! But there’s more!

— You will also get a signed copy of this sweet tale: “The tiny gardens that could… A tale of two guerrilla gardeners in the heart of the big city”. (Please disregard the garden dirt under the author’s fingernails)

“It was an act of faith. In summer 2018, Toronto writer Ian Kinross and his Mom, Sheila, installed two tiny gardens in public spaces in the heart of the big city. They nurtured their little ‘guerrilla gardens’ through blistering heat. They battled garden thieves and accepted the kindness of strangers. Ultimately, they brought beauty to neglected spaces — it was also an act of hope.”

To enter, send your pic/story to me at ikinross48@gmail.com, connect on FB, or comment on this blog post.

It’s been a tough winter and a tougher pandemic. We could all use a little TLC. Beautify a public space — take the guerrilla garden challenge!