There is a wonderful atrium in the center of our elementary school, open to the sky above and encircled by windows from classrooms. It currently has lots of weeds and a few non-native bushes and trees. We want to create a space that is welcoming for students and staff, supportive of birds and pollinators, and a showcase of native plants.
We have cleared the space to prep it for planting by weeding all areas and removing herbacous and groundcover plants that are nuisance and non-native volunteers. We plan to select plants from Sparrowhawk Native Plants and will diversity what we plant to support both birds and moths, butterflies, and bees. The atrium has lots of bright indirect light and a good number of midday hours of direct sun, but needs to be low maintenance so as not to burden teachers and staff throughout the year. We want to ensure the space is usable for classes to have time outside in a safe and welcoming space as well. This means we are thinking about adding in logs and cut tree branches that can be used for seating. And building a few planter beds that are at an accessible height for students in wheelchairs to help contribute to the space with other students.
