High School Wilding

A beautiful collaboration between the Brunswick Secondary College Parents’ Association (BSC PA) and Tended Earth has boosted the wild living beauty of BSC. Across three gardens, 300 new plants (primarily native species) were planted during a community planting day and a student planting session. Plants were carefully selected to create multi-layered and biodiverse wild gardens. Staff and students are watering and weeding while the plants grow towards becoming low maintenance beauties!

A colorful illustrated poster promoting three new wild gardens at Brunswick Secondary College, created with community support. It features two children planting together amidst lush plants and trees, with informational text about funding and project details.

September 2025 marked the successful completion of our “Wild Gardens” project at Brunswick Secondary College (BSC).

Across three street-facing gardens (total area, 114 sq. metres), 300 new plants were added to complement existing ornamental deciduous trees and a handful of surviving native shrubs. The new species were carefully selected to create multi-layered and biodiverse plantings. In total, 23 different species - 20 native and 3 hardy, well-suited exotics - were planted.

A key component of this project was the “co-creation” of the gardens to foster community connection and shared care for the land. This was achieved by engaging students, staff, and the local community during each phase of the project.

This project was brought to life by the energy and collaboration of:

Allison Berry, President of BSC PA - project initiation and co-facilitation
Jo Keeble, Tended Earth - project design, planting schedule and co-facilitation
Lindel Bell, Executive Assistant and Sally Goss, Vice-Principal at BSC - support and promotion of the project

Funds raised by the BSC PA supported the purchase of plants and materials essential for the project.

Phase 1: Site prep

Prior to planting, a team of Horticultural/ Eco-Conservation TAFE students got busy preparing three BSC garden beds. Weeds and rubble were removed, and existing soil health was boosted with the incorporation of compost and zeolite.

Our team:

Meredith, Celia, Immy, Chloe, Kim, Rory, Vee, and George

Dates
08.09.2025 and 10.09.2025

A person wearing a cap and gloves working in a garden bed next to a brick building with a sign that says 'Brunswick Secondary College.' They are smiling and tending to green leafy plants.

People planting trees or shrubs in a garden bed outside of Brunswick Secondary College building.

Four women with gardening tools standing on freshly worked soil outside of a brick building, smiling at the camera.

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.

A small, leafless tree planted in a brick-edged flower bed with dark soil, against a red brick building. There is a window with beige trim on the building and a large vertical sign on the left side of the image.

Four people planting a tree outdoors, with a background of bare trees, a brick building, and American flags.

Phase 2: Community Planting Day

BSC students, teachers, families and friends were invited to join us for a community planting day. Thirty-five volunteers were part of the action and 250 new plants were added across the three gardens!

People and plants:

35 volunteers, including BSC staff, students, and families, planted 250 new plants!

Date
14.09.2025

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: Planting with Kids

Ross Mortimer, who is part of the BSC Student Mental Health and Wellbeing team, gathered together an enthusiastic team of year 7 students for a hands-on planting session. The kids did a great job helping to place, plant, and water another 50 new plants in the garden beds.

People and plants:

8 kids and Ross planted 50 more plants!

Date
16.09.2025

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

For the finishing touches, a team of Horticultural/ Eco-conservation TAFE students returned to spread mulch throughout the gardens. Partially broken down mulch was used to help further boost the soil health.

Our Team:

Meredith, Chloe, Kim, Kenny, Vee, and George

Date
17.09.2025 and 18.09.2025

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.

Three Wild New Gardens!

Soil re-vitalised, 300 new plants, lots of wonderful community involvement, and some beautiful wild new gardens for BSC! These gardens will become low maintenance (around year 2), but in the meantime the plants will be given extra love (& water!) by the staff, students, and community of BSC.

A big thank-you to the amazing staff, students, and community of BSC for getting involved!

A landscaped urban garden with small trees, flowering shrubs, and ground cover plants, with brick residential buildings and a metal railing in the background.

Close-up of a silver-gray plant in the foreground with a brick building and a sign for Brunswick Secondary College in the background.

A burgundy brick building with decorative trim on the right side of the image. In the foreground, there is a landscaped area with freshly planted small plants and shrubs on dark soil. A young, leafless tree with pink blossoms extends across the image

Close-up of a shrub in the foreground with a brick building and a sign for Brunswick Secondary College in the background.

A small garden bed with newly planted shrubs and grasses, bordered by red bricks, next to a brick building and sidewalk in an urban setting.

A garden bed with small green plants and mulch, beside a brick building and a black metal fence, under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

A landscaped garden with recently planted small green and silver plants, a fallen tree branch, and a young tree. The garden is surrounded by a brick wall with a metal fence, and there is a sign for a storage company in the background. The sky is part

A landscaped flowerbed with black mulch, small shrubs, and a leafless tree against a brick building wall, with a window and a white sign that reads 'Brunswick Secondary College'.

The Wild Transformation

Nothing like some before and after shots to fill your heart with wild joy!