But from the blackfoot daisies and rock roses down to the mulch made of crushed pecan shells, the pair of 200-square-foot gardens are the culmination of 12 students’ months long study of South Texas’ native plants.

“That’s student empowerment: letting them make these decisions,” said teacher Elijiah Rios of the Southeast branch of the Boys and Girls Club, one of the instructors for the First Bloom program at the Missions National Historic Park. First Bloom is a nationwide program supported by the National Park Foundation to educate urban youths about the natural world. Former First Lady Laura Bush launched the program in 2007 to honor another former first lady, Lady Bird Johnson…

“A lot of San Antonians don’t know they have a national park in their backyard,” he said…

Although students will now shift their focus to beautifying their Boys and Girls Club campus, the remainder of the program will include periodic trips to check and care for the gardens they planted Friday.

“The process definitely doesn’t stop when they put it in the ground, and they need to learn that,” Rios said.

Other activities have ranged from explaining the parts of a plant to history lessons about the crops cultivated by Spanish settlers at the historic missions.

“We’ve taught meteorology and biology mixed in with colonial history as to why some plants were brought over,” said Castanos… Students have also taken field trips such as a Saturday morning spent locating invasive plant species near Mission San Juan…

Students cited learning about such things as the water cycle and soil types in their science classes, but added they liked that the First Bloom program gave them a chance to get their hands dirty.

“It’s kind of like the same thing, but a whole different kind of lesson with actual animals and actual plants,” Abigail said.

Today filmaker Ken Burns will receive a tour of the new gardens from the kids. Burns’ upcoming film, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, was sponsored in part by the National Park Foundation. The six-part, 12-hour series set to air in September 2009 on PBS explores the history and heritage of America’s national parks.