Secret guerilla gardener raids

KALLISTA traders are remaining tight-lipped on the identity of a guerrilla gardener who is intent on sprucing up their town.
The rogue green thumb’s latest undercover target was the abandoned former petrol station site on Monbulk Road.
Traders spotted the man moving car tyres filled with plants and vegetables onto the private land about three weeks ago.
He has also illegally planted trees in the nature strip outside the fenced-off block, which is council-owned land.
A Shire of Yarra Ranges spokesman said the council had not received any complaints about the unlawful foliage.
“We’ll have a look at it and assess whether it’s appropriate for it to stay there.”
The secret gardener was responsible for Kallista’s vibrant, bloom-filled roundabout and other illicit plantings throughout the town.
Kallista storekeepers were reluctant to divulge any information on the latest makeover and have refused to reveal the garden guru’s identity.
Locals have remained in the dark on plans for the site since it was sold to developers for more than $380,000 in July 2006.
Kallista Tearoom’s Denise Sangster-Greenwood said the rumour mill constantly churned out new theories on the site’s future.
“One week we hear it’s going to be a strip of four shops and then it changes,” she said.
Ms Sangster-Greenwood could not reveal the secret gardener’s identity, but welcomed the servo’s new look.
“It’s looking lovely,” she said.
The garden has become the talk of the town, but not everyone is pleased with it.
One Kallista trader said the plant-filled tyres littering the site were an eyesore and urged the landowner to make use of the valuable strip.
Lyster Ward councillor Samantha Dunn said plans for the site remained unclear.
She said the council had not received any planning permit applications to develop the area.
The Mail has tried to uncover plans for the land over the past two years but has been unable to contact the owner.