Demonstration garden bed filled with native plants
In a hands-on seminar course offered during the 2025 summer institute, students dug into the intersection of science, sustainability, and community learning—literally. As part of the course, students designed and planted raised bed gardens using plants that support the local ecosystem while serving as powerful tools for classroom education.
Working in teams, students created themed garden beds with a specific ecological purpose, such as supporting native pollinators like endangered bats and butterflies, conserving water, or highlighting native edible plants. Each bed will feature a sign explaining the garden’s purpose, a labeled plant map so anyone can replicate these gardens in their own home or school site, and a QR code linking to a website. These websites offer in-depth information about the native plants, their ecological roles, and lesson ideas and recipes for teachers to use in their own classrooms.
By engaging in planning, planting, and teaching from the garden, students gained practical skills and deepened their understanding of how environmental education can be used to foster inquiry, stewardship, and social responsibility. Ultimately, this work was about living a land acknowledgement through the act of restoring and bringing back the diversity of native plants to our campus; increasing the biodiversity.
The raised beds with signage will remain on display as demonstration gardens until the winter.
If you’re not able to visit the Learning Garden on campus, you can still view each garden’s website to learn more:
- Experiential Garden
- Butterfly Garden
- Medicinal Garden
- Bat Garden
- Edible Plants and Berries Garden
- Aesthetic Garden
- Native Learning Garden
You can bring any of these BC Native Garden designs to life at home. Each plan was created with different purposes and interests in mind. By planting natives, you’ll be supporting local pollinators and strengthening our ecosystem.
Did you know?
Fall is the best time to plant natives as it gives them time to establish roots through the cooler months so they can thrive in spring.
You can learn more about native plants at okanaganxeriscape.org.