Girl Scout Legacy Planting
Three local 5th Grade Girl Scout troops, mainly from Neil Cummins, recently collaborated on a project to tidy up a forgotten section of campus!
Troop 10942, Troop 10947 and Troop 10928 will be leaving behind a beautiful legacy when they depart at the end of this term.
(not all pictured)
The girls took on a big project to refresh the concrete planters behind the 5th Grade classrooms, which have been overlooked, until now!
Project Planting - Part 1
First, the troops visited Charlotte Torgovitsky from Home Ground Habitat Nursery who kindly taught the girls how and why to encourage pollinators into a habitat garden. They learnt loads in her stunning and inspiring nursery, and came away with some favorite plant ideas, tips and tricks.
Home Ground Habitat Nursery was incredibly generous to supply a large and wonderful selection of plants, which a team of their volunteers have caringly propagated from seed. Aimee and Ms Swisher brought the plants to school for the second part of the project.
The troops, and their families, kindly paid for all the soil to give the plants a fresh and healthy kickstart. So much was needed that it had to be delivered by truck!
Karmen Helms Elwazir, a landscape designer and NC parent, helped us decide which plants to use.
Project Planting - Part 2
Back at school meanwhile, our school custodian helped coordinate the new irrigation to make sure the beds are watered going forward.
And next up, the three troops came to garden after school to take part in three beautification projects.
1) First, they painted rocks with colorful designs and messages to drop in and around the plantings.
2) Their second project was to construct pretty butterflies to decorate the Monarch Waystation.
3) And finally, their last and biggest project was to get their muscles working by digging up the soil, amending it with soil from a huge delivery to campus. They dug, they planted, they watered. Buckets and buckets of healthy new soil were carried to and fro. They worked SO hard for a good 3 hours! We’re so proud of you all.
Here are some Before and After photos of their hard work. We can’t wait to see these plants grow!
Habitat Plant List used
Check out this LONG list of great habitat plants that you too can use in your own garden to encourage pollinators and beneficial bugs.
1 x Coastal Buckwheat
5 x Yarrow
3 x Penstemon
3 x Monkey Flowers
3 x Coyote Mint
5 x Deer Grass
4 x Salvia - Microphylla variety Hybrid
3 x Verbena De La Mina
1 x Creeping Ceanothus
3 x Pink Seaside Daisy
1 x California Aster
1 x Canyon Grey Artemisia
3 x Fuschia Calistoga
3 x Grindelia Hirsutula
3 x Blue Eyed Grass
3 x Bee Balm
1 x Verbena Rigida 'Polaris'
1 x Catmint
3 x Salvia Sylvaticus
Some European meadow sage
Some muhlenbergia rigens grass
We want to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to:
Troop 10942, Troop 10947 and Troop 10928 from the Marin del Centro arm of Girl Scouts
for their generous donation of soil, their time and massive effort!
Aimee Durbin who led the collaboration with Ms Swisher over a weekend, and after school.
Our school Custodian Miguel who helped with watering on the day.
We also want to thank Charlotte at Home Ground Habitat Nursery for her time, expertise - and generous plant donation
Karmen Helms Elwazir for helping decide which plants to use.
And here they all are working their magic…
