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San Francisco couple sowing seeds of change one vacant lot at a time

San Francisco couple spreading seeds of change one vacant lot at a time
San Francisco couple spreading seeds of change one vacant lot at a time 03:11

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- It was a phrase that once echoed through the streets of San Francisco. Flower power was a well used mantra of the 1960s.

Decades later, Shalaco and Phoenix McGee are continuing to spread the mantra in one open space after another across San Francisco.

Employing what they say is 'Guerrilla Gardening,'  they have been planting native wildflowers in empty spaces for years.

"We plant native pollinator seeds in neglected areas of land," said Phoenix, who is a landscaper by trade. "It's just a nice way to make a forgotten about space, you know, full of full of flowers."

They even planted flowers in a plot of dirt behind a San Francisco police station. When asked  about officers reaction, Shalaco -- who runs a production studio -- replied:

"They say 'Thanks for the flowers,'" he said.

And the thrill of a successful seed bombing is contagious. 

"I think people think it is fun and like rebellious,"  Shalaco said. "It's getting them excited about planting."

Every night, the couple strolls through San Francisco neighborhoods, carrying shakers filled with seeds and super soaker water guns.

"We take a break from our computers and we take a walk at sunset and we sow native seeds on our walks,"  Phoenix said. "We'll forget that we sowed a place up with seeds and then we'll turn a corner three months later and all of a sudden you'll see all of the plants that we have in our seed kit."

With 250,000 TikTok followers and 5 million likes, the couple has discovered a large following of passionate planters on social media. It turns out, sowing seeds is good for the soul.

"There's always something that we've planted, blooming,"  Shalaco said.  "So it's just kind of heartwarming. I feel like you can, you can feel it. Some people call it our magic trick. It's nature's magic trick. We're just helping it along."  

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