We all need to get involved

 "Tell me and I will forget

Show me and I may remember

Involve me and I will understand."

This is why I came up with The Phantom Planter challenging you to get out planting trees. Once you get involved in tree planting yourself you'll be connecting to and understanding nature on a whole new level.

I always say it doesn't matter how many trees get planted, if the heart of the community are not involved nature will never be respected.

Its only when I started to phantom plant trees that my view on nature changed. And to be honest it was only because my first trees were wild phantom planted by the side of the road in Belfast that made me connect and understand on a different level.

Because it was my little act of environmental graffiti it really had me wanting to drive by my trees every day to see how they were doing, just to make sure they were still there in the hood.

If I had of planted these trees in a garden or in a place that was safe it would not have had the same learning and connecting impact on me.

My little act of rascality turned out to be one of the best educational things I have ever done.

I was intrigued to go and see my phantom planted trees nearly every day, watching, observing, learning and understanding.

This is the most recent pic of one of my first ever phantom planted apple trees. It must be about 11 years old now and every year it gives out hundreds of very tasty apples.

This was the first tree that I could climb and do pullups on, for years I always wanted to do this, To grow a tree that one day I could climb!

Fast forward 11 years guys and I have fruit forests that I can swing tree to tree from like Tarzan. All phantom planted and all keeping that rascal in me happy. I'll always be a bit dodgy in life. Ducking and diving is how I was reared. I will also always be an addict too, I've just swapped the drugs for trees, and the risk of being locked up working moves in the underworld to phantom planting whole forests without permission!

Its in my blood, when I was 17 my wee mum God rest her found 28k in a shoebox hidden in my bedroom.

This was money I made on the street, she went mad and threw me out. I went and lived in hotels for about a week then I started to really miss her. So I went back and said to her, look mum this is what I am, I'm a hood and its what I'm going to be I said. My wee mum was bedridden for many years and I told her I loved her and still want to make you breakfast every morning. She burst into to tears and said I blame that b**tard downstairs, (meaning my dodgy Delboy dad. ) he's turned my blue eye into a gangster she said. We kissed, hugged and made up and she accepted me for what I was. For the next 15 years I lived on the edge until I found my secret love for trees and the Buddhas teachings.

Life is better when we plant trees. I challenge you all to phantom plant a tree amd see how you feel. After you plant chant "om mani padme hum" 3 times. 

Peace and love 

The Phantom Planter and Wee Betty