High School Wilding

Rewilding together

An urban rewilding initiative at Brunswick Secondary College (BSC) is transforming three neglected street-facing garden beds (~263 sq. metres) of the school into multi-layered wild gardens to boost local biodiversity and provide habitat for wildlife.

This initiative was brought to life with the energy and collaboration of the President of BSC Parents’ Association, Tended Earth, the BSC Leadership Team.

At its heart is co-creation - students, staff and the wider community are working together to plant and care for the new wild gardens, building connection and shared stewardship of the land.

Design & Funding

  • Collaborative development of project vision and budget

  • Climate-resilient, site-appropriate plants, with a focus on layered planting to support biodiversity and habitat

  • BSC PA funding ($8,139) for plants and materials

July 2025

July 2025

Jan 2026 post-wilding

Jan 2026 post-wilding

The Rewilding Process

Phase 1: Site preparation

Horticultural TAFE students - Meredith, Celia, Immy, Chloe, Kim, Rory, Vee, and George - were supervised for the preparation of the sites for planting.

  • Weeds removed

  • Soil improved with compost and zeolite

BSC Grounds Staff assisted with removal of unwanted vegetation, and the steel tree cages that were trapping existing trees.

Four women with gardening tools standing on freshly worked soil outside of a brick building, smiling at the camera.
Four people planting a tree outdoors, with a background of bare trees, a brick building, and American flags.
Three women planting a small tree in a garden bed outside a brick house. One woman is digging with a shovel, another is holding a bucket, and the third is standing nearby, holding gardening tools.
IMG_1781.JPG

Phase 2: Community Planting Day

BSC students, teachers, families and friends were invited to join us for a community planting day.

  • 35 volunteers planted 250 new plants!

Person planting flowers in a garden bed outside a brick building, wearing a straw hat and blue clothing, with a small shovel. The garden bed has potted flowers and gardening tools.
Three people planting flowers in a garden bed with a blooming pink tree overhead, concrete and brick fence, and street with parked cars in the background.
People planting flowers along a sidewalk in an urban area on a sunny day.
Three people planting small trees in a garden bed outside a brick building under a window. One person is hammering a stake into the ground, while the others observe.
A person wearing sunglasses, a white hat, and light clothing is watering a small, leafless tree in a brick-edged garden bed on a sunny day.
A woman planting flowers in a flower bed outside a red brick building on a sunny day.

Phase 3: Student Planting Session

Ross Mortimer, BSC Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Team and an enthusiastic team of year 7 students joined us for a planting session.

  • Eight students placed, planted, and watered in another 50 plants!

Three students planting flowers and tending to a small garden bed outside a brick school building with banners for Brunswick Secondary College.
A young boy planting or tending to a small green plant in a garden bed near a brick wall, with gardening tools nearby.
A young boy with red hair and freckles planting a small green plant in a flower bed on a city sidewalk, using gardening gloves and a small black watering can.
Two boys planting small plants in a garden bed with a brick border on a street sidewalk.

Phase 4: Mulching

A team of Horticultural/ Eco-conservation TAFE students - Meredith, Chloe, Kim, Kenny, Vee, and George - returned to spread mulch throughout the gardens

  • Partially broken down mulch was used to help further boost the soil health

A person planting flowers in a garden bed next to a brick building with large windows, wearing gloves, a dark hoodie, and camouflage pants.
Four people standing outdoors in front of a brick building with large windows and a pink flowering tree, posing on a freshly planted garden bed with small plants and mulch.
Two people are spreading mulch on a garden, one on each side of a black metal fence. The person outside the fence is passing a bucket full of mulch to the person inside the fence. Cars and trees are visible in the background.
Three people standing in a garden bed with plants, with a building and street in the background. One person is wearing a bright yellow shirt, another a brown jacket and wide-brimmed hat, and the third a black hoodie.

Phase 5: Starting to Grow

One month after first round of planting (17 Oct 2025) - lovely to see the new plants settling in beautifully!

A garden bed with dark mulch and various small green plants, some with pink and yellow flowers, against a brick wall.
A small shrub with thin, elongated green leaves with yellow edges, planted in dark mulch. Two other plants, one with thin grass-like leaves and one with broad silvery-green leaves, are nearby. A brick wall is in the background.
A garden bed with various small plants and shrubs along a brick wall, with a red pipe on the ground and a building with decorative architecture in the background.
A freshly mulched garden bed with various green plants and shrubs along a brick building wall, including pine and ornamental grasses, with a drain pipe and fire hydrant visible.
Close-up of a garden bed with green and gray leafy plants, some with yellow flowers, and a tree with reddish leaves in the background, with buildings and a street visible beyond the garden.
A small plant with pink flower buds growing in mulch in front of a school brick wall.
A small shrub with needle-like green leaves and yellowish tips growing in a school garden bed with dark mulch. In the background, there are other small plants and a brick border.
A small pink and white flower blooming in a school garden bed with dark mulch, with a brick wall and other green plants in the background.
Pink flower buds on a green plant growing in dark soil in a garden, with other plants and a brick school building in the background.
Close-up of a cluster of pink flower buds on green stems growing in dark mulch in a garden bed, with a school brick building and tree in the background.
A school garden with newly planted bushes and flowers, supported by wooden stakes, in front of a brick school building with steps and a railing.
A small landscaped school garden with a tree and various low-growing plants, in front of a red brick school building, with some windows and white window frames visible.
A red brick school building with large reflective windows, a tree with dark red leaves, and a garden bed with various plants and mulch in the foreground.
In a garden with dark mulch, light gray, silvery plants with small yellow flowers grow in front of a red brick building.

Phase 6: Another Planting Day!

  • Two months after first round of planting (16 Nov 2025) - another 156 new plants were tucked into the earth by our team of BSC community volunteers

  • Mulch was added to support the new plantings

Three people planting small shrubs and flowers in a high school garden, with gardening tools and plants around, near a brick fence and a sidewalk.
Three women watering plants in a garden outside a brick school building with a tree in the background.
A woman and a young girl planting or watering plants in a garden bed outside a brick school building. The woman is wearing sunglasses and gloves, and the girl is holding a blue watering can, both focused on the gardening activity.
Three people planting flowers in a garden bed in front of a brick school building.
A rewilded high school garden with a variety of green plants and small shrubs in front of a red brick school building, with a tree with dense, reddish leaves and windows.
A rewilded high school garden with small plants and grasses on a sloped bed, trees with dark red and green foliage, a brick school building in the background, and a white metal fence.
A rewilded high school garden with young plants and trees, surrounded by a brick and metal fence, with school building and street visible in the background.
A rewilded high school garden bed with various plants and small flowers, trees, brick and metal fence, street with parked cars, and a building in the background.
A rewilded high school garden with various green plants and shrubs in dark soil, surrounded by trees with red leaves and a brick fence and sidewalk in the background.
A rewilded high school garden with various green plants and small shrubs, enclosed by a brick and metal fence, alongside a sidewalk and street in an urban setting, with trees and school building in the background.
A rewilded high school garden with young plants and small bushes in front of a brick school building, with trees and a dirt ground.
A rewilded high school garden with a variety of plants and flowers outside a brick school building with windows and air conditioning units, trees with red leaves in the background, and a cloudy sky overhead.

Wildflower Power

Two months into transformation

By mid-November 2025, the new BSC wild gardens were blooming beautifully and attracting pollinators, including the Australian Painted Lady (Vanessa kershawi).

A butterfly perched on a pink and yellow flower, with other similar flowers in the background, in a Brunswick Secondary College garden - a beautiful example of Rewild my School.
Pink flowers blooming among green leaves in a Brunswick Secondary College garden - a beautiful example of Rewild my School.
Pink flowers blooming on green foliage in a Brunswick Secondary College garden - a beautiful example of Rewild my School. Mulch, with a tree trunk, grass, and a brick school building visible in the background.
Close-up of yellow flowering plants with grayish-green, long, slender, and slightly curved leaves in a garden bed near a brick school building at Brunswick Secondary College - a beautiful example of Rewild my School.
Close-up of various plants and flowers with mulch, trees, and a fence in the background of a Brunswick Secondary College garden - a beautiful example of Rewild my School.
Pink flowers blooming in a wild garden with mulch and a brick school building in the background at Brunswick Secondary College - a beautiful example of Rewild my School.
Pink and yellow daisy-like flowers blooming in a wild garden with mulch, some buds still closed, green foliage, and a brick school building in the background. Brunswick Secondary College garden - a beautiful example of Rewild my School.
A wild garden at Brunswick Secondary College with various plants and flowers, including a cluster of grey-leaved plants with small yellow flowers, pink daisies near a brick school building and sidewalk - a beautiful example of Rewild my School.

Outdoor Learning

Creating Habitats for Wildlife

Old logs and bark provide beautiful nesting and hiding spots for beetles, spiders, native bees, ants, skinks, and other small creatures. By adding these natural elements into a wild garden, we provide welcoming habitat for local fauna and help support a thriving, resilient ecosystem.

On Tuesday 25th November 2025, year 11 students from BSC joined us for a habitat making session on 47 Dawson Street, Brunswick. It was delightful watching the students carefully tuck in logs, sticks, and pieces of bark as they imagined what the little creatures might like to live in.

In 2026, we look forward to working with local experts to enhance the habitat-providing potential of the BSC wild gardens.

A boy kneeling in a garden holding a piece of wood, surrounded by plants and flowers, with a brick building and other children in the background.
Young man planting flowers in a garden bed near a brick building.
A person is planting a small garden in a city yard, kneeling in freshly turned soil, surrounded by flowering plants and shrubs, with a tree and urban buildings in the background.
Group of three people planting flowers in a garden bed outside a brick building, with a woman in the background wearing a sun hat.
A group of young people planting and working in a garden with small plants and trees, outside a brick building, during daytime.
A young person with curly red hair planting a young plant in a garden bed, kneeling on dark soil. The background shows a brick building with windows and some small flowering plants.
Person planting or tending to a small green bush with a log in a garden bed.
A young man holding a large piece of wood outdoors, with a red brick building and other people in the background.

Assessing Pollinator Activity

In 2026, Tended Earth is connecting with local experts, including Dr Philip Taylor (Botanist and local Brunswick resident), to assess and better understand pollination and seed set in the new wild gardens of BSC. This will provide valuable insight into optimising the ecological health of newly created wild gardens in urban settings.

Learn more

Assessing Biodiversity: A beginners snapshot

Plants were selected by Tended Earth to create multi-layered, biodiverse, and beautiful wild gardens at Brunswick Secondary College (BSC). Here we take a closer look at the biodiversity in one of the three BSC wild gardens - the garden located near the main school entrance at 47 Dawson Street, Brunswick.

Garden size: approx. 180 sq. metres

Plants: 4 existing deciduous trees and 291 new plants (see Table 1 for full list)

The garden is now multi-layered:

  • 38 groundcovers, 180 low plants, 66 mid-storey plants, and 7 canopy-providing trees

and biodiverse:

  • 13 different families (see Figure 3 for family level composition, grouped by ecological function)

  • 23 genera

  • 28 species

Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index is a widely used index of biological diversity.

Typical ecological classifications describe values below 2 as low-moderate diversity, values 2-3 as high diversity, and values above 3 as characteristic of very diverse natural ecosystems (Magurran 2004; Krebs 2014).

Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index for the BSC new wild garden = 2.91, indicating a highly diverse plant community.

Color-coded donut chart titled 'Plant Families - color coded by ecological function' showing various plant families with their percentage values, including Asteraceae, Poaceae, Asparagaceae, Amaranthaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Goodeniaceae, Lamiaceae, Myrtaceae, Asphodelaceae, Proteaceae, Rosaceae, Rutaceae, and Fabaceae.

Figure 3: Composition of Plant Families in one of the BSC Wild Gardens. Families are colour coded by ecological function: structural elements (light-dark green), pollinator-supporters (yellow-brown), small bird-attracting (pink), supporting families (not playing a major role, but still contributing; blue)

A detailed plant chart listing various plants and their botanical classifications, family, genus, species, cultivar/hybrid, and size measurements, with color-coded rows for different plant categories.

Table 1: Detailed List of Plants in one of the BSC Wild Gardens. The garden includes a diverse mix of plants representing 13 families, 23 genera, and 28 species. Data available in this table was used to calculate the Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index. Plants have been colour coded by ecological function to match Figure 3.

NB best viewed on desktop computer. Or list is available upon request

Please note, this is a very preliminary analysis of biodiversity. If you’re interested in studying this garden in more detail, please get in touch!

Summer Watering Support

Although plants in the BSC wild gardens were selected for their hardiness & suitability to our climate, they still need some nursing through their first summer. To help share the love, a watering roster was established with a team of volunteers from the BSC community. The new wild gardens are being WATERED TWICE A WEEK e.g. every Mon & Thurs *or more during heatwaves*

Photos taken January 2026 (below) show a thriving happy wild garden - thanks to the wonderful community of BSC!

A landscaped garden in front of a brick building with various plants and flowers, including a tree with dark leaves, grasses, and pink and yellow blooming flowers.
Yellow blooming plants with small, round, fluffy flowers and green foliage in a garden bed with dark mulch and a brick wall in the background.
A young tree supported by wooden stakes and tied with black ties, planted in a garden with various plants and flowers, in front of a brick building with large windows.
A garden with various flowering and ornamental plants, including yellow and pink flowers, in front of a brick building with a fence and trees.
A garden with yellow and pink flowers in front of a brick building with a sign that reads "Brumby Secondary College." There are trees and bushes in the garden area.
A garden with ornamental grasses and pink flowers in front of a red brick building with a sign that reads 'BRUNSWICK SECONDARY COLLEGE.'
A garden bed with various plants, including a shrub with long, brown, cone-shaped flower spires, and a flowering ground cover with small yellow flowers, against a brick wall.
A landscaped garden bed with various green, silver, and yellow plants and flowers, located beside a red brick building with a black metal fence and a parked vehicle in the background.
A garden bed with various green and gray plants, including grasses and small flowering plants with yellow and white flowers, surrounded by dark mulch, with a brick building and metal poles in the background.
A small garden bed with a variety of plants, including silver-gray foliage plants, bright yellow flowering plants, and green leafy plants, situated next to a red brick building with a sidewalk and entrance ramp in the background.
A small garden bed with various plants, some with yellow and pink flowers, enclosed by a brick fence and metal railing. There are autumn leaves on the dark soil.
A flower bed with various plants and flowers along a brick wall, including pink and cream-colored buds, green grass-like foliage, and small yellow blooms.
A landscaped street-side garden with various green plants and small yellow flowers, bordered by a brick wall and a metal fence, with a road and cars visible in the background under a cloudy sky.
A young tree supported by wooden stakes and tied with black ties, surrounded by a garden with ornamental grasses and flowering plants, near a brick sidewalk and a metal fence.
Young tree supported by wooden stakes in a landscaped urban garden with various ornamental grasses and plants, surrounded by fallen leaves.
A garden bed with various plants and flowers alongside a sidewalk, with a brick building and street with parked cars in the background.

BSC Community Feedback

What do you like most about the wild gardens at BSC?

In Dec 2025, BSC students, staff, and families were invited to give their feedback.

  • “They make the school feel cared for and help me to feel connected to the land and nature. They support an ecosystem that makes the whole place feel more alive. They also provide opportunities for learning about indigenous plants, animals and ecosystems - will be a great resource for teaching biology!”

    - BSC Staff -

  • "They look really nice and make me feel happier."

    - BSC Student -

  • “The planting enhances what was a neglected space, will get better with time and attract other wildlife and insects.”

    - BSC Family -

  • “Welcoming, life-affirming, inspiring, reflect a connection to nature, beauty and hope.”

    - BSC Family -

  • “It creates a more welcoming environment and reduces the concrete effect of the buildings around it.”

    - BSC Family -

  • “They have integrated the existing plants, and brought in a lot more diversity. It looks so much better!”

    - BSC Family -

  • "I like how it makes the front of the school look prettier and put together."

    - BSC Student”

Tended Earth is now offering

Rewild my School