Outdoor

You'll improve your chances of successfully germinating tree seeds if you gather them as they mature, just before or after they drop from the tree. Have students inspect their finds, then discard those that have pinholes that could be caused by worms or that have other obvious damage. Another trick is to empty seeds into a bucket of water and discard the floaters, which are less likely to grow. Before trying to germinate tree seeds (and other wild seeds), you need to brush up on dormancy.

"To be able to walk under the branches of a tree that you have planted is really to feel you have arrived with your garden." -- Mirabel Osler

Many announce their presence with bold and vibrant hues, while others remain modest and drab. Some are simple and open in form, but others feature tricky entries or convoluted mazes. They have long inspired humans with their beauty and fragrances, and we've bestowed them with symbolic meanings.

Myths and symbolism aside, the real job of flowers is to ensure that plants produce offspring. Animals can roam about and seek mates with whom to reproduce, but imagine the challenge for a plant, rooted firmly to the ground, to achieve this same end.

Although native peoples from different parts of North America used a wide range of agricultural techniques, perhaps the best known is the interplanting of corn, beans, and squash together--a trio considered by the Iroquois Indians of the east as "The Three Sisters." Numerous school gardeners in our network have experimented with Three Sisters and other Native American plantings, and others have expressed interest in doing so.

Corn, called "mahiz" by the first Americans who met Columbus, and known by much of the world as maize, is known today by the botanical name Zea mays.

A wildflower unit for your classroom can be simple or elaborate to fit your situation. It could range from observing and identifying wildflowers growing around the school or in nearby lots to collecting or obtaining seeds and trying to germinate them in the classroom. Or you might choose to establish a full-blown wildflower meadowVermont Garden Park Wildflower Meadow: An image taken at National Gardening headquarters in South Burlington, Vermont.

Your students have spent all winter and early spring nurturing their classroom plants. As spring emerges, you may be planning to move your precious seedlings into school or home gardens, school or community flower beds, or other outdoor locations. Consider using transplanting as an opportunity to continue teaching about plants' needs and adaptations, and to tie in subjects across the curriculum.

Planting seedlings with Hurlburt Field Child Care Center: Hurlburt Field Child Care Center is a winner of the 2011 Muhammad Ali Center Peace Garden GrantIf you're gardening both in and out of the classroom, it may be nearing time to transplant carefully tended classroom plants to outdoor gardens and flower beds. To help your transplants make a successful transition, consider the following tips: