# People as Plants Human Shrub Gardens In Front of Colchester, Essex City Hall By Rachel | Published 2009-07-13 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/human-shrub-protest-planting References: [treehugger](http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/07/human-shrub-guerrilla-gardener.php) & [telegraph](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5768087/Man-dresses-as-human-shrub-to-protest-against-council.html) Not often do you see [plants watering themselves](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-leafypod), but a mystery person in Colchester, Essex, has been doing just that - dressing as a shrub and [planting marigolds](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/where-the-good-things-gro) outside city hall. The Human Shrub is protesting a cut of funding for gardens in the city, and the removal of [flower gardens](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/flower-sharing) throughout the area. The masked avenger leaves signs where he plants reading, “Dear Colchester, With Love, The Human Shrub.” As far as protests go, this is a pretty humorous, loving and earth friendly one! ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.3/10 - Popularity: 11% | Activity: 21% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Self-watering Plants:** The trend of self-watering plants offers the opportunity for innovative solutions to reduce water consumption and automate the care of plants. - **Creative Protests:** The trend of creative protests presents disruptive innovation opportunities for businesses to engage with social and political issues in unique and attention-grabbing ways. - **Green Spaces Advocacy:** The trend of advocating for green spaces opens up opportunities for disruptive innovations that promote environmental sustainability and the importance of nature in urban areas. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Gardening and Landscaping:** The gardening and landscaping industry has the potential to seize the opportunity presented by self-watering plants to develop innovative products, technologies, and services that simplify plant care and reduce water usage. - **Activism and Nonprofits:** The activism and nonprofits sector can leverage the trend of creative protests to design new and impactful ways to raise awareness about important causes and drive social change. - **Urban Planning and Development:** The urban planning and development industry can capitalize on the advocacy for green spaces trend by integrating nature-friendly designs and promoting the creation of more parks and green areas in cities. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Flora-Inspired Body Autonomy Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/full-bush-summer.md) - [Outdoor Floral Sculpture Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sculptures-at-kew-gardens.md) - [Tree-Integrated Mysterious Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tree-mural.md) - [Water-Less Minimal Design Gardens](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/botnica.md) - [Medical-Inspired Plant Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mini-plant-life-support.md) - [Climate-Controlled Planters](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smart-flower-system.md) - [Nature-Inspired Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/humannature-1.md) - [Plant Care Tool Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/prick-ldn.md) - [Grass-Scented Bubble Bars](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wash-and-grow.md)