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Dane County Land & Water Resources Department

Free Native Plants for Schools and Community Projects

Native plants have tremendous water quality benefits and increase habitat and food sources for pollinators. Because of this, the Dane County Land and Water Resources Department has started a native plant growing program to provide a source of free native plants to help schools and community groups in Dane County. These plants will be available in spring and summer each year. Spring plants are donated from community members through the Plant Dane! plant sale and fall plants are grown by local volunteers. 

Since the program began in 2016, more than 36,000 plants have been distributed to 178 different groups, including schools, neighborhood associations and community centers. Scroll to the bottom of the page for an interactive map of projects that have received plants from this program.

Apply for Plants

Community organizations, schools, nonprofits or businesses are eligible for this project as long as they meet the following requirements:

  • Project is located in Dane County and is:
    • Within a publicly-owned space (such as a community park, school, municipal building, etc.), OR
    • Within a private property but proposed garden is visible to the public or is a large gathering area open to many people (e.g., church, business with a greenspace, etc.)
  • Landowner or property manager has approved this project
  • If you received plants from this program before, you submitted a photo to show the project was installed (if you didn’t do this, we will be asking for a photo before processing this application).

Not Eligible

  • Plants cannot be used for permit compliance
  • Plants cannot be used for projects on one or two family residential lots with no public access

Please Note:
Sites that pond water or have poor drainage may not be able to support the plants provided by this program. If you have any questions or concerns about whether or not your site is appropriate for native plants or a rain garden, please contact us before submitting this application.

The native plants come in plug trays and should be kept moist until planting. Once in the ground, plants will need watering and care until their roots become established. Plant recipients must provide photos of the planting process and/or final garden so we can add them to our online map. If people are in the photos, please make sure you have their permission to use the photo.

We would love an updated photo of the garden in bloom after a few years.

Application Steps

  1. Fill out the online application and submit it by the end of the day Friday, July 19. 

Next Steps:

  1. Staff will review the application and reach out with any questions.
  2. Applicants will be notified in July/August if the application was approved. 
  3. Applicants must pick up plants or send a representative to pick up the plants on Wednesday, August 14 from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.. The pickup location will be emailed to you.
  4. Plant recipients must provide photos of the planting so we can add them to our online map. We will send an email with an upload link.

If you have questions about this program, please contact:

Susan Sandford
Strategic Engagement Coordinator
(608) 669-1816
sandford.susan@danecounty.gov

 

How to Volunteer

Anyone can volunteer for this program as long as you have some outdoor space available. Volunteers participate in a half day training in the fall to learn more about the program and how to grow native plants. The growing process takes place outside - no indoor growing lights or equipment is required. The volunteer grows and cares for the seedlings and returns them to us to distribute. We ask that the volunteer provide the potting mix if able. If you are interested in volunteering, you can sign up for our fall workshop.

 

Past Projects

Since the program began in 2016, more than 36,000 plants have been distributed to 178 different groups, including schools, neighborhood associations and community centers. Click on the button below for an interactive map of projects that have received plants from this program.