Citizens by day, outlaw gardeners by night

TORONTO, July 19 (UPI) -- A group of eco-minded Toronto residents said they are using the cover of night to set up gardens at bus stops, terraces and other urban locations.

Terry Aldebert, the east Toronto director for the Public Space guerrilla gardening group, said members spend their own money to create luscious garden spaces under the cover of night without permission from the city or property owners, CTV reported Saturday.

"I got involved with guerrilla gardening because I didn't have a yard and I wanted to get into gardening," Aldebert said.

Albebert, a University of Toronto instructor, said she and roughly 10 volunteers recently gathered to turn a weed and garbage infested parking lot at the corner of Boston Avenue and Dundas Street into a thriving garden.

"I chose this spot specifically because I used to walk my dogs here and I saw that it had fallen into disrepair and I thought we could make it beautiful again," she said.

The guerrilla gardener said that while her group's actions are technically illegal, the city has thus far turned a blind eye toward the unauthorized beautification.

"The city simply can't afford to take care of all the public space in the city," she says. "They need help."