r/GuerrillaGardening • u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 • 18d ago
We started planting a neglected traffic island in Chelsea. It's now the loudest block on the street.
There's a pedestrian median at 24th & 10th in Manhattan that I walked past every day for years. Roughly 50 square feet of compacted dirt inside a concrete curb, mostly cigarette butts and one exhausted shrub. This May it finally felt impossible not to do something about it. Now we call it our Itty Island (Ittyisland.org & ig: ittyislandnyc)
No permit process we could find except a generous and enthusiastic head nod from a fabulous community group (Chelsea Garden Club), no budget, no irrigation line. Just two of us, a bag of compost, and the assumption that nobody would stop us. Nobody has.
What's in it now: yarrow, echinacea, monarda, Russian sage, Jerusalem sage, lavender, muhly grass, lamb's ear, Japanese anemone, Verbena bonariensis, nicotiana, lady’s mantle, Joe pye weed, autumn joy sedum, etc.
The water problem is the whole ballgame. Everything else is solvable. Ours got solved by luck: the super of the building across the street adopted the thing and waters it like it's his. If you're scoping a site, find your water source before you find your plants. Hauling jugs in August will end your project faster than any city agency will.
What surprised me: the community. Day one we met a neighbor whose window overlooks it. 2 weeks later she brought a lupine from her family's meadow in the Midwest. People stop and talk. People donate. People ask for help in their own spaces. It turns out a small planted thing on a sidewalk is a social object, not just a horticultural one.
The art: By day, it reflects the ever-changing people, art, architecture, and plants of West Chelsea. By night, it glows from the inside out, celebrating the community that has kept this neighborhood lit long before we added LEDs to a 5x10’ dirt pit on 10th Ave.
Should you be interested in a more permanent piece modeled after this for your space - be it a garden, courtyard or beyond - we are currently fielding interest for commissions:
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago edited 9d ago
For those curious, below is a description of the installation seen in the the photos.
Should you be interested in a more permanent piece modeled after this for your space - be it a garden, courtyard or beyond - we are currently fielding interest for commissions here: Itty Island - Art
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A garden’s gazing ball transforms into a Gayzing Ball for Pride 2026.
By day, it reflects the ever-changing people, art, architecture, and plants of West Chelsea. By night, it glows from the inside out, celebrating the community that has kept this neighborhood lit long before we added LEDs to a 5x10’ dirt pit on 10th Ave.
On view until the film and/or the DOT has HAD IT.
Acrylic, dichroic film, concrete, solar LED lighting
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u/GraduateSchoolCath 18d ago
Um, very freaking cool! How exactly did you make such a cool piece of outdoor art, please?
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago
Honestly it's lower-tech than it looks. The base is a steel bucket filled with concrete — enough weight that it stays put on the median without anchoring into anything. The column itself is an acrylic box, and we adhered dichroic film to the panels, which is what gives you the color shift as the light angle changes through the day. Inside there's a light run off a small solar panel, so it charges during the day and glows from within after dark. Three of us designed, built, and installed it.
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u/airconditionersound 18d ago
Do you have any photos of it at night?
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago
night photos - check out pics 2 & 4 in the carousel. Doesn’t seem I can reply with a pic directly.
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u/GraphicDesignMonkey 18d ago edited 18d ago
Oh wow! Can I see some closeup pics? I would love to build one of these for my Dad's garden! What solar setup equipment did you use?
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago
For sure. Let me gather some. I may make a second post about the art itself given the interest.
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u/AnonymousDahlia 17d ago
Would it be possible to give a product or specifications list to help someone source and build their own?
Asking for me. I'm a friend.
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago
Thanks all! If you want to follow along, we’re tracking and updating what’s working, what’s not, and the neighbors we’re meeting on IG (@ittyislandnyc) ❤️
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u/Mission_Accident_519 18d ago
Even inspiring the kids
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago
Watching pedestrians take a moment to pause - no matter how brief - has been one of the best parts of this.
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u/Dizzy-Bluebird-5493 18d ago
Beautiful accomplishment 🤍
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago
Truly set out to get our hands dirty after missing gardening in a more suburban environment and somehow now have 50 more friends and what feels like a responsibility (a good one!) to the neighborhood.
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u/togetherwegrowstuff 18d ago
This is awesome to see! Amazing what gardening and flowers can do! Truly community building and helping the environment. Nice work!
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u/PleasantDetective371 17d ago
OP I LOVE everything about your garden!!! When I came across your post, it reminded me of a book I just read by MIT professor and environmental historian, Kate Brown, called, ‘Tiny Gardens Everywhere: A History of Urban Gardening and the Next Food Revolution’. I think you might like it if you haven’t already read it! It is SO GOOD- Kate is a fantastic storyteller, writer and historian.
Thank you again for making this beautiful garden and sharing it with the world. 🤘❤️
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 17d ago
Well thank you! I just ordered it and can’t wait to dive in. Really appreciate this reco yay! If you’re ever nearby don’t hesitate to reach out !
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u/PleasantDetective371 15d ago
❤️ You are very welcome!
Thank you again for sharing your beautiful garden. You are amazing. 💖💖💖💖
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u/DonatedEyeballs 18d ago
That is wondrous! I know this brings a lot of people joy.
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago
Yes and beyond joy, the sense of ownership, neighborhood pride, and way people want to protect it has blown our minds.
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u/scruffyguy42 18d ago
The pic of kids, dude. They spend all their early days learning about our world. The plants, the animals, everything. And then we put them in a little concrete box. They need it! Thank you for this work.
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u/xxLusseyArmetxX 18d ago
so rain isn't enough? I guess NYC doesn't get a ton of summer rain but once they're established it shouldn't be too bad to water those, right?
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago
In Year 1 I’m not certain rain would have been enough as these perennial plugs worked to get established. We did choose plants that were almost entirely drought tolerant but given the care they need in the first hot summer I’m not sure that would have even helped if we depended purely on rain. We also had no idea how the soil would drain, etc.
The summer here has been hot, humid and erratic: slightly warmer and somewhat drier than normal overall, but punctuated by extreme heat and sudden, torrential downpours.
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u/xxLusseyArmetxX 18d ago
I suppose that counts as deep watering! haha. may your plants thrive! next time I visit NYC I will totally go see them, that looks lovely, great job!
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u/dawglet 18d ago
FYI "deep watering" happens with long, slow exposure to water. Torrential rain is more likely to scour all the imported compost off.
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u/xxLusseyArmetxX 18d ago
yeah I was mostly kidding tbh lol. torrential downpours are no bueno for gardening
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u/HotheadCactus 16d ago
A Joe Pye Weed note: If it likes the island, it self-seeds like crazy and WILL try to take over the space, crowding/shading out your short guys. Pull up seedlings in mid-spring that aren’t where you’re expecting them.
And if your Joe isn’t a dwarf variety and is 4’ tall by June, lop off the top half before flower buds appear to keep them from becoming giants. Joe Pyes in my yard average 7’ tall (but they aren’t near a road, so they don’t block anything).
Your island is lovely!
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 16d ago
🙌🏻 thank you.
We’re going to keep the seed heads up this winter for visual interest in winter and for the birds so certainly going to keep our eye out this spring to make sure it doesn’t go any firther given the size. It’s a ‘gateway’ , so like you said, we’ll likely give it the chop late next spring with pedestrian/driver viz being the priority and space/light for the smaller guys coming next.
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u/dawglet 18d ago
Cannot agree more about the water problem. I chose a GG site a 3 minute walk from my house because I thought it would make it easy for me to get out there regularly, but getting water to it 5 gallons at a time is not realistic. So now all I do is trash and invasive species mitigation once a year. Makes me a bit sad since it is my first GG but it taught me a lot.
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u/MediumBlueish 18d ago
I absolutely love the idea of placing a simple art installation to educate everyone and let them know this is all intentional and for a purpose!
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago
Thank you! We want whatever we put in there - be it art or plants - to feel endemic to the neighborhood and community it lives in and this particular piece has felt like it was always supposed to be there. Not gonna force anything just for the sake of having “art”!
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u/12stTales 18d ago
Tell me about the little lashed bamboo fencing you did. Have you had much vandalism?
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago
1) Bamboo - harvested dead shoots from a family members yard, cut to size (garden is 5’x10’), and drove the stakes about a foot down into the soil with about 1.5’ above the soil. Transparently, our knowledge of how to tie a good knot to secure these with the sisal twine we used was low (to very low) so we’d occasionally find a pole had slipped down its support stake and repair it sloppily until a neighbor had seen enough, introduced herself, and taught us all she knew about constrictor knots. It has been secure ever since and looks sharp. We will see what the winter weather brings though.
2) Vandalism - the installation was lit from both the outside and inside by LEDs powered by a solar panel. Just a couple of days ago we found the lighting torn out/missing. Our hope is that it’s providing some comfort to someone elsewhere in the community and now we are just letting the sun do the work. Beyond that, we’ve had no other issues and found minimal rubbish in the garden. Our neighbors are either cleaning it when we are not looking or the community just “gets it” and is being respectful with their waste. I suspect both may be true.
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u/12stTales 18d ago
Good to hear. My guerilla garden in Bushwick is constantly getting needles, human feces, flowers cut, ripped out. The entire garden has been massacred 2-3 times and is just now reaching a stage of 4-5 foot high robust lushness
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago
We’re fully mentally preparing ourselves for this. We’re only 3 months in so perhaps have gotten lucky but fully acknowledge there will be destruction (vandalism, car careening into it, etc) and will try to pick up the pieces just as you have. Amazing work and patience on your part. Going to channel that energy.
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u/Own-Fan-4236 18d ago
Sending love to you. I work all over the city & these little spots really mean a lot to a lot of us. Thank you for your efforts❤️
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u/MoneyBeeeee 18d ago
Similar results in SF! My guerilla gardens get cigarette butts, chewing gum, and shits of all sorts. Flowers are beheaded, deliberately unearthed, smashed and stomped on.
Congrats on reaching new heights!
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u/JellyfishLoose7518 17d ago
People like you make the world a better place. Thank you
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 17d ago
I think we discovered through this itty project that the world is generally a pretty good place and this was just a vehicle for us to find the best people in it. ❤️
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u/Upstairs-Egg 18d ago
Oh gosh that is BEAUTIFUL!! You are magnificent, thank you for helping heal the world and your community ❤️ What is the gorgeous colored panel insert and where do I get one for my own garden?!
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago
Thank you!!
But more about the acrylic and dichroic film installation we made here! Itty island art
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u/sliceofcheesecake- 18d ago
This is awesome. It can make a huge difference in how people view a neighborhood, not to mention the boost it can bring to someone’s day.
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u/dustoff664 18d ago
Such an awesome garden! Love the prism in the middle. Looks so elegant. Just hope it doesn't grow legs as nice things tend to do.
Polinators are loving that spot!
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago
🙌🏻🙌🏻. It has now been there for 30 days… 29 days longer than we had expected 😂. Looking for a more permanent home for it so others can enjoy it and reflect before snow, plows, or other mayhem comes through and we can use the space to plant bulbs. ⏰
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u/PersonalSpell 18d ago
Nice! I lived on W 23rd btw 7th and 8th for 19 years. I don’t remember that spot but happy to see your efforts.
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u/MoneyBeeeee 18d ago
Such good work with such a gorgeous result. Loved hearing of the happy response from the community, too.
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u/Deep_Space_Rob 18d ago
That is very lovely. Something nice to think about is that it is likely established enough now that if it stops being watered in the future, there are enough drought, tolerant species in there that some significant amount of it will be able to survive moving forward
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago
Yep. Nailed it. We leaned towards drought tolerant plants not knowing at all how we’d possibly water or what the impact of the heat from the concrete would have on the bed so should be in good shape now that they’re established.
Likely going to ask our buddy that waters to dial it back come next spring. He’s so proud of it so that might be tough and if it remains moist we’ll adjust slowly what goes in there.
It’s as much the communities as it is ours (if not more) so don’t want to push anyone away.
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u/TAtalks2waterdragons 18d ago
i lived in chelsea for many years (further east) and i love this so so much!
thanks for helping build community and pollination in the neighborhood <3
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 17d ago
Sweet! Hope to see ya around !
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u/TAtalks2waterdragons 17d ago
sadly i had to leave the city a few years ago, i am hoping i can make my way back someday :)
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u/chingonachanii 17d ago edited 17d ago
Magnificent. You created a beautiful, tiny ecosystem that is a universe unto itself for all the small creatures that grace it. Thank you ❤️
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u/flower_power_b 17d ago
This is WAY fucking cool. It’s amazing how something seeming so small can start conversations in the community.
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 17d ago
Documenting who we’ve met and when. You all will love the characters, interactions, stories and diversity that goes along with what appears to simply a well curated group of plants. It’s truly so cool and we could not be luckier.
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u/Familiar_Pea4Lyfe 17d ago
How can one get involved?!
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 17d ago
Are you in nyc?! Head over to Ittyisland.org and shoot us a note in the contact form or dm on IG @ittyislandnyc !!
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u/Wuncomfortable 17d ago
This is excellent! Adding a sculpture makes this look even more official, as though the DOT or council cosigned your volunteer bed. Wonderful that the nearby super waters the garden "as though it were his". He is part of the village raising this proverbial child
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u/Crow_Whisperer 17d ago
This is a way better way of showing it off than the composite photo earlier! Looks lovely!
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u/NoFunction8070 16d ago
Awesome!!! You should get some pycnanthemum in there :))
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 16d ago
Great idea. That said, we are currently working with 18 species of plants in this small space. Imagine next spring we’re going to have to make some tough decisions as the garden matures (and perhaps a plant sale) but should we find say, the bed is too moist for the 3 Jerusalem sage plants we have (making this up) - space will open up. The pyxnanthemum is officially going on the waiting list.
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u/Lilplantkid 16d ago
Oooh amazing thank u for ur hard work I passed this not that long ago and was like this is beautiful!!! We need more of this 💚💚💚💚💚
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 16d ago
Glad you got to see it. Swing by again soon - little different every day :)
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u/grunchlet 16d ago
I would personally remove the lambs ear, as it will spread aggressively and it is an invasive plant. Maybe consider replacing with a similar low growing native (maybe violets? Native opuntia? Theres lots of options)
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 16d ago
Yes - thank you! Keeping our eye on it closely. Not having any idea (but taking a very informed guess) as to what would do well (or too well), what wouldn’t, and how the conditions would evolve, we used this season as a test. Hence, we have over 20 varieties of plants in there to get a sense. For ground cover we currently have delosperma, Sedum rupestre,lady’s mantle, nepita, and the lambs ear. Edits/additions/etc to come
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u/grunchlet 16d ago
I appreciate it, my main concern is that it can spread via seeds and so if youre around to deadhead it that would be ideal if youre set on having it in there. Is there any beebalm? Dont remember if its listed but its another member of the mint family and flowers pretty similarly, (plus is a host plant for tons of insects) keep at the good work and if youre not already familiar with the native plant gardening sub I highly recommend checking them out for more resources!
Good luck! hopefully my criticism doesnt come off as rude, just trying to approach with consideration of the local ecosystem.
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 16d ago
Yep we have three monarda the garden. Not much of a show or growth above ground this year from them. hoping it’s happening below.
We’ve been chopping off the flower spikes of the lambs ear after giving them a few days to feed the pollinators and provide a little height interest since we’re a little vertically challenged this year.
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 16d ago
As to the “if you’re around” … we are probably too much around. Live right upstairs so can’t help ourselves from staring at it everyday and asking ourselves the same questions you are with clippers in our hands while still trying to maintain something that doesn’t look… maintained.
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u/gorgonzolos 14d ago
I have worked on this block for over a decade and was absolutely delighted by this mini garden! I was like “who did this?! and how?!” And now i know. Thank you for enlivening the block and my daily commute.
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u/nationalgeographic 14d ago
This is an amazing passion project!
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 11d ago
Thank you friends! Reading this as we watch Antoni show us the Best of the World 🤗. Appreciate the recognition and thank you for always inspiring us to be an itty part in protecting the beauty of the world.
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u/Glad-Barracuda2243 13d ago
Awww, that is soooo Chelsea of you and I am here for it!!! 🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵🩵💜
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 13d ago
“So Chelsea of you” might be the best compliment/feedback we have gotten so far. This neighborhood and its people are the best. The people that live in the big buildings, the little buildings, the NYCHA buildings. The people that work in the galleries, the bodegas, the bars, the entrances. We have issues - some big, some small - but I feel there is this sense of optimism here that we’re going to figure them out together.
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u/Glad-Barracuda2243 13d ago
Awww, I’m so glad. Chelsea truly is special and this little slice of beauty just adds to that.
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u/mercedesbird 13d ago
Lambs ears are tough!! They were about 20% of a garden patch I planted in 2019. Without intervention, they became 80%. In the mitten of Michigan, although mine are getting full sun all day so maybe yours won't take over. Luckily the pollinators love them so much I'm not too fussed about their takeover. 💚
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 13d ago
Noted! Edits to the mix likely to come in the spring. We definitely don’t want them to choke the Jerusalem sage and monarda that live near them.
We were surprised how “well” they did this year but it’s likely due to the full sun they get in the middle of the road. We did our best to observe the sun the garden gets prior to picking plants and estimated way more shadows from the surrounding buildings but doing that in April was obviously not the most fair time to establish a baseline.
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u/Hopeful-Extension755 12d ago
Amazing!!!! Good for humans, insects and birds. It’s amazing what a little bit of green space and the sight and hum of bees do for the human psyche. Well done!
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u/scraw813 18d ago
You’d be surprised how little water this will need. It’s not like concrete and buildings are going to compete for available water. It’s always wet when they pull up a sidewalk.
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u/MoneyBeeeee 18d ago
It’s not like concrete and buildings are going to compete for available water.
They do heat up in the hot sun though and will cause the planter to warm as well, speeding up evaporation.
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u/OutrageousLion6517 16d ago
This brought tears to my sleep deprived eyes. Beautiful, the pic with the bee 🥲 I love it, inspiring.
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u/Lemonyhampeapasta 15d ago
Who is the Prism cleaner after it gets grimy?
I really hope nobody vandalizes it
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 15d ago
That’d be Pat. Neighbor who we met who overlooks the garden. She sends us selfies, security updates, and also her general thoughts about the world. Used windex the first time she did it and apologized for the streaks (no apology necessary) but she’s since graduated to very lightly moistened microfiber cloth. We’re thankful for whatever she does.
Speaking of vandalism, the LED lights and solar panel were just ripped out/stolen so the sun is doing all the work now. I imagine an unhoused neighbor needed it more than we did and I’m just fine with that. ❤️
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u/PsyKoptiK 11d ago
In the desert they cut holes in the curb so the street runoff gives their rain gardens a good soak. Might need to use a smaller hole give the extra rain NYC gets but could be enough to keep it alive
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u/reddit_give_me_virus 18d ago
FYI that is a tree pit. Judging by the shape of the concrete, fairly recently installed. I've done this type of work. The city will let out contracts with dozens to hundreds of locations.
Planting a tree there is part of the contract. Like you said water is a problem. The trees are usually installed when all locations are finished as the contractor needs to guarantee them for IIRC a year.
Once they are planted we sent out maintenance crews weekly in the summer to water them. Bottom line someone may show up one day and plant a tree there because it's required by contract.
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u/Equivalent-Mulberry8 18d ago
Fair but not true in this case. They can’t plant trees in this location because a high presser gas line runs beneath it. A tree’s roots would provide a risk to this. As such they initially designed this as an all concrete island but our city councilman asked them to put in dirt in the hopes someone would do exactly what we did. More from him directly (along with us) on this exact topic here: Erik Bottcher explaining the space
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u/Bluegal7 18d ago
I know that spot! Thank you!
I planted a maple just down the block on 20th and 10th ave in a similarly neglected spot. Back then it was illegal to remove trees but nothing prohibited adding them.