Juan has been a doorman on Zurbano Street, in the Madrid district of Madrid, for 33 years. Chamberi. For seven years, apart from being the guardian of the portal, he decided to act as a “private gardener.” Gardener because he plants flowers and other types of vegetation, “according to the season and season of the year”, as he himself explains, and particular because his activity is limited to the land of the tree pit that is in front of number 58.
The 59-year-old man from Madrid realized that the tree and its flowerpot had the advantage of “being bigger and having more land than the rest of the street.” And he decided to take advantage of it. Now, he lives in a constant struggle between sow flowers week after week and then suffer their withdrawal. The cleaning workers Madrid City Council They remove them from the land and respond to Juan’s indignation with “it is forbidden.”
“He City hall It takes away my flowers because it is supposedly illegal and harms the tree. I don’t understand. Now that ‘Green Madrid’ is in fashion… This is a sustainable and original initiative“explains the doorman. Even so, Juan’s flowers are also damaged by footsteps from distracted people, “gifts” from pets and “envious people” who take them to his house. As a request for indulgence, the doorman put fences around of the earth and a sign: “Please respect the garden and do not let your dogs pee.”
The well-being of the tree over that of the plants
The “illegality” to which municipal workers refer It is based on the general ordinance for the protection of the urban environment. Specifically, to the fourth book, which establishes the protection of the green areas of Madrid. The City Council defines a green zone as “all spaces intended for planting trees and gardening in accordance with the determinations of the urban planning plans.” These include municipal trees and their land, such as the tree pit in front of Juan’s portal.
This regulation also establishes the rules for planting, conservation, use and enjoyment of vegetation to ensure “its preservation.” Among the rules, the City Council urges “respect the plant elements, choose species adapted to the climate of Madrid to avoid excessive water costs” and prohibits the use of “species that are not in perfect condition or exposed to pests and diseases that, as a consequence, may be sources of infection.”
Juan’s private garden could fail to comply with several points of this regulation, which would explain the removal of the flowers. For example, the lack of knowledge that the planted species are invasive or incompatible with the growth of the tree. Also, the plants absorb water from the irrigation that should be dedicated to the tree or, conversely, the additional watering of the flower bed by Juan or the neighbors could negatively affect the tree. Therefore, as the ordinance determines, the well-being of the tree, part of the green areas of Madrid, takes precedence over Juan’s private plants.
The neighbors “defend” Juan’s garden
Even so, the Madrid native assures that “the neighbors are delighted.” In fact, one of them was the one who decided to give voice to the goalkeeper’s story to try to stop them from removing the flowers. Sofía Álvarez, 22 years old, has been living at Zurbano 58 for eight years, one year longer than her goalkeeper has been watering flowers, and she contacted this media outlet to defend her goalkeeper. “I don’t understand why they would take it away, if all the goalkeepers in Madrid put in a mini garden like this, the center would be prettier,” explains the young woman.
“Then the City Council leaves the graffiti in the neighborhood for weeks until they clean it up, but the flowers are removed immediately. Juan himself has had to paint the door from time to time because the graffiti was still there. Flowers don’t harm anyone, we love them and we all take care of them“says Sofía. The doorman suspects that he has “sown envy in the neighborhood” because he has seen more private gardens at the foot of other nearby trees, replicating his initiative.
“It’s not for nothing, but I think I have been one of the pioneers. Since I set up the gardens, I have seen that some portals in the area are also making their own,” says Juan. When asked if he is going to continue planting flowers even if their destination is uncertain, the Madrid native assures that he is not going to give up: “As soon as I see them taken away from me, I’m thinking about how I’m going to put together the next one.”
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