Regional Plant Lists for Children’s Environments
Plants soften outdoor environments and make them feel more comfortable and welcoming. Access to nature has also been shown to improve children’s mental and physical health and well-being, so adding plants to school grounds is not simply about beauty. Plants help to make outdoor learning spaces more effective as teaching environments by reducing students’ stress levels and helping them to pay attention. Schools can also incorporate specific plants or ecosystems into their grounds to provide hands-on teaching resources tied to standards-based curricula, and they can also select plants for their play value, wildlife habitat potential, interesting textures and shapes, and/or seasonal colors.
Living schoolyards include an array of regionally appropriate plants that promote learning and healthy development. This resource — Plants for School Grounds — outlines the rich benefits of plants in children’s environments, as well as tips on choosing and using appropriate plant materials. (This resource is not region-specific, rather gives a broad overview that is applicable in a variety of regions and climates.)
© Lani Harmon, EarlySpace
Plant Lists by Region
The plant lists in this section were developed with children’s outdoor environments in mind and include plants that are adapted to the climate of each region. The individual plant selections on each list were made because these plants have a combination of the following characteristics. They are easy to grow and are durable (likely to survive the love of hundreds of children). They have play value since they produce interesting loose parts like seed pods or hundreds of flowers that are ideal for daisy chains. They work well in container gardens, have low water needs, and/or they have beautiful flowers, interesting textures, or other useful features. They are plants that attract wildlife, such as birds and butterflies, to school grounds.
*These lists below are not exhaustive. If there are ecoregions that should be included, or you have had success with plants not listed in the lists below, please let us know by sending an email to support@greenschoolyards.org so we may include them.
© Portland Public Schools, Portland, Maine
© Green Schoolyards America, Arlington, Virginia
© Green Schoolyards America, Austin, Texas
© Green Schoolyards America, Berkeley, California
© Green Schoolyards America, Madison, Wisconsin
© Green Schoolyards America, Portland, Oregon
© Green Schoolyards America, Los Angeles, California
Plants for Southern California
(Coming soon!)
© Green Schoolyards America, Palm Beach, Florida
Plants for the Southeast
(Coming soon!)
© Green Schoolyards America, Phoenix, Arizona
Plants for the Southwest
(Coming soon!)
© Green Schoolyards America, Waimea, Hawaii
Plants for Hawaii
(Coming soon!)
© Goolge Maps Street view, Anchorage, Alaska
Plants for Alaska
(Coming soon!)
Credits
The plant lists in this section were written by members of the Outdoor Infrastructure Working Group and the Emergency Schoolyard Design Volunteers.
National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative
The National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative supports schools and districts around the country in their efforts to reopen safely and equitably using outdoor spaces as strategic, cost-effective solutions to increase physical distancing capacity onsite and provide access to abundant fresh air. The Initiative seeks to equitably improve learning, mental and physical health, and happiness for children and adults using an affordable, time-tested outdoor approach to keeping schools open during a pandemic.
