Native Species Planning for School Gardens and Individuals 

FOR SCHOOLS

For schools or partners interested in adding native plants to their campus or to their school gardens, the process is fairly straightforward, with multiple benefits to reap. 

Why add native plants to your school?

• Lower water consumption for maintenance

• Lower recorded temperatures during hotter seasons

• Improved focus and lowered stress for faculty and students

• Stronger relationship with the world + insects within it

• Attract local butterflies, moths, birds, and friendly bees

• Tangible subjects for chemistry and biology courses

To start a native garden on site, it is highly recommended to do a site analysis to fully understand the soil composition and conditions your location is working with: certain building materials tend to shift soil composition in notable ways. In Arizona, there are multiple extensions or services that would be able to assist in deciding which native plants would work best. 

The largest hurdles to successful native gardening is lack of training and financial constraints: starting small such as adding lining to pavements with native species could allow for enough time for appropriate training and fundraising.