On our school campus, we only have 1 native tree and it is an oak tree that grows in a forgotten corner of campus. We want to increase the number of native plants at our school site as well as increasing awareness about the benefits of growing natives.
We are planning a native plant garden that will ajoin our edible garden. It will be approximately 1000 sq ft in size. We want to teach our students about the value of planting native plants (water conservation, food for native animals, historical and cultural significance and so much more). The trees that we would like to plant are Rhus integrefolia (lemonade berry) and Cercis occidentalis (Western Red Bud). We will also be planting native shrubs and understory plants. We plan to create informative signs about the plants and their historical uses with the indigenous tribes of our school lands as well as developing additional lesson plans that will allow students to explore and learn about the wonders of planting with natives.
We have decided on the best location to plant our trees and have decided on the tree species, but due to the corona virus, schools have been closed and we are unable to organize volunteers. We are back on site and are prepping our planting location. We will plant our trees at the start of the rainy season in Los Angeles.
We are learning about what trees will grow best in our region and how to amend the soil to help them grow. I am also learning how to work with school site staff to make sure we are all on the same page about our project going forward.
We might expand it and try to work more with school site planning committees.
Deciding which trees to plant. But I'm sure when we plant the trees, that will be the best part.
Make sure you think about how big the trees will grow to be when they are mature and think about what kind of shade they will create, because this will affect your garden space.
