Overview
The Mt. Everest Academy Native Garden is a permanent, natural area on campus to educate students and provide habitat for local wildlife.
4350 Mt Everest Blvd, San Diego, CA 92117
Note: This project was restarted in 2023 after being destroyed.
MEA Native Garden Club
The MEA Native Garden works to improve and maintain a permanent natural, outdoor area on campus to educate students and provide habitat for local wildlife.
Before & After
Location and Sections
The garden is located at the West end of the Mt. Everest Academy campus and is separated into two sections. The garden area borders houses and private properties and is encircled by asphalt and classrooms. It is also located in the vicinity of the school’s agricultural garden. The total area of the garden space is approximately 0.4 acres or 17,300 square feet. The planting area is flat with no slopes. The soil is extremely compacted which limits plant growth and makes digging difficult.
North Section
This section is smaller and closest to irrigation. There were already a few native plant species and small trees growing in this area, so planting began here. There is an invasive Brazilian pepper tree in this section. The tree was trimmed down in 2025, but its growth must continue to be controlled. No planting has been done right next to the Brazilian pepper tree.
Note: The first 15 natives were planted in 2022, surrounded with a few existing desert brooms. Unfortunately, during fall 2022, the garden was cut down by maintenance workers working for the school district. Only one plant from the 2022 plantings survived the incident, and the project was restarted the following year.
South Section
This section is larger and farther from irrigation. There were two native plant species that grew without any external help but later died. Plant survival is much lower here, although with additional watering and mulch covering, we have had some success.
Species Observations
