Southwest Projects

Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens at the Randall Davey ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Center

Our Goals
Cultivate native plants for suitable bird and wildlife habitat, while also educating and empowering our community with the skills to maintain gardens at the Center and across Santa Fe.
What We’re Doing
We maintain several demonstration gardens around the center in collaboration with the Santa Fe Master Gardeners and other volunteers.
Lesser Goldfinch

Native plants are essential for bird habitat and success. Native plants provide food such as seeds, berries, nectar, and insects for local birds and pollinators, as well as shelter and nesting locations. Native plants are specially adapted for the arid Southwestern climate, making them effective choices for drought resiliency, providing additional shade, and cultivating healthy soils. 

At the Randall Davey ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Center, we maintain several native plant gardens around the property, including the main Wildlife Garden which is an excellent bird watching location.

Bushtit eating a worm in chamisa
Bushtit eating a worm in Chamisa. Photo: Tom Taylor
Master Gardener Partnership
Master Gardeners work day

Santa Fe County Extension Master Gardeners helped create and continue to maintain the wildlife gardens at Randall Davey ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Center. Since 2003, the Master Gardeners have contributed thousands of volunteer hours annually, through group work days and other programs. Beginning in 2013, they extended their work to providing educational sessions to our young campers and programming to the public.

Seed Library

Volunteers and students collect native plant seeds every fall and help to clean and package them for redistribution. Stop by the Seed Library, located adjacent to the Treehouse and Terrace Gardens. Community members are encouraged to donate their own seed, as well as take packages to plant around New Mexico.

Learning Garden

In 2025, staff and volunteers refurbished one of the historic terrace gardens with a focus on an outdoor learning space. There are vegetable plots, as well as herb spirals, and a hops arch for learners of all ages to explore. Want to get involved? Look for upcoming volunteer days or submit an application to join the weekly work sessions.

Curve billed thrasher
Find native plants for your area
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