[Gay Garden]

Let’s Plant Flowers in Jongsam

In early 2012, a Korean translation of the book Guerrilla Gardening was published. A few like-minded members of Chingusai read the book and said, “Why don’t we plant flowers in Jongno, too?” In early April, they scattered seeds of corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) on an empty lot near Jongno 3-ga. That was the beginning of Gay Gardening.

The plants grew well, responding to the care we gave them. The problem, however, was not the plants, but the people connected to the land—the flower bed itself. Some stepped on the plants. Others broke off blooming flowers, tore off leaves, or smashed or took away the Gay Garden sign.

Once, a government office removed the entire Gay Garden we had made—plants and sign included—and planted privet (Ligustrum obtusifolium) in its place. This happened just three days after we had put up the sign. All we had done was plant flowers and place a sign in a flower bed that had been left neglected for years. Ironically, the plants we planted grew better than the ones planted by the authorities. It was a clear reminder that continuous care matters more than a one-time planting.

The corn poppies bloomed first—but quickly disappeared. We suspect that an elderly man may have pulled them out, mistaking them for opium poppies. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), corn poppies contain no narcotic substances.

Planting sunflowers turned out to be an excellent choice. They grow tall, have large blooms that are visible from afar, and flower quickly after sowing, allowing visible results in a short time.

This time, we decided to install signs reading “GAY GARDEN” only after the flowers bloomed. We believed that the destruction of the previous garden had been caused by the sign implying homosexuality. Even if the word they considered blasphemous(!) appeared on the sign, we thought they would hesitate to uproot sunflowers in full bloom. Our prediction proved correct: no one pulled out the sunflowers. However, out of three signs placed in two flower beds, two were either damaged or went missing. Honestly, we’re grateful. Flowers take a year to grow back, but signs can always be replaced.

Not all reactions were negative. In fact, people’s responses exceeded our expectations. One middle-aged man approached a Gay Gardener who was watering the plants and said that he ran a shop in front of the flower bed. He liked having flowers in front of his store and occasionally watered the sunflowers himself, proudly calling himself a “Gay Gardener.” Even when people didn’t approach us directly, we could tell—by the looks in passersby’s eyes as we gardened—that many were already enjoying the Gay Garden.

We, the Gay Gardeners, will continue to search for empty lots in Jongno 3-ga and turn them into flower beds—Gay Gardens—and care for them. Through this, we hope to create a new gay culture in Jongno 3-ga that is a little different and unique, one that both gay and straight people can enjoy. We are still at an early stage. We have planted only four kinds of plants, and only two have bloomed. We have found just two small plots of land and made only two Gay Gardens. But judging by the reactions of people around us, we feel hopeful. We plan to create more Gay Gardens and plant a greater variety of flowers. As part of that effort, we recently sowed seeds of flowers that bloom in the fall. If you’re curious, come visit Jongsam this autumn and enjoy the flowers.

Chingusai / Guerrilla Gardener 007