News from Zone XII on September 10, 2025

Arizona Columbine Garden Club used the Common Ground Collaborative grant to help heat-stricken areas in Phoenix, AZ.
Meg Nichols

In the Spring of 2025, Arizona Columbine Garden Club (ACGC) received a $10,000 GCA Common Ground Collaborative (CGC) grant to help mitigate life-threatening heat in Phoenix. 

The grant funded ACGC’s partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Urban Heat Leadership Academy (UHLA) to fight the deadly effects of extreme heat in Phoenix by planting shade trees in neighborhoods lacking the cooling effects of tree canopies. The goal is to transform heat-stricken areas in Phoenix into cool, healthy and climate-resilient environments.

UHLA was developed by TNC in 2021 to help communities most affected by heat. UHLA provides knowledge, resources, and skills so that residents and local leaders can mobilize their communities and advocate for greener, cooler, and healthier neighborhoods.  

ACGC hopes the trees will make a difference in Phoenix. The city’s average summer temperature ranges between 99 and 106 degrees, and neighborhoods with little or no shade can be 13 degrees hotter than others. (Heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in the US). The hottest neighborhoods have the lowest percentage of tree canopy and the highest percentage of child poverty.

Funded by the GCA's Common Grou0nd Collaborative grant, ACGC members will participate in the tree-planting events, work with TNC and UHLA, and interact with residents in targeted communities. Club members will participate in planting days and revisit the areas at six-month intervals to check on the progress of the trees. Initial tree planting will begin in the Fall of 2025!

The GCA has annually awarded six CGC grants nationally to support GCA member clubs in building long-term relationships with diverse community groups to develop, improve and maintain non-profit programs. Beginning in 2026, the Civic Improvement & Grants Committee will be granting eight Common Ground Collaborative grants. 

For the third consecutive year, the Arizona Columbine Garden Club members of the Garden Club of America (GCA) are pleased to announce the signing of a Native Plant Month Proclamation. Governor Katie Hobbs on February 11, 2026, officially designating April 2026 “Arizona Native Plant Month”.  The GCA has led this effort across all 50 states and Washington, DC to increase awareness of the critical role native plants play in supporting a healthy environment, thriving wildlife and pollinator populations, reducing use of pesticides and fertilizers, cleaning air and water and so much more.

The Garden Club of America and its member clubs are committed to preserving and expanding native plant habitats, helping build awareness about the importance of native plants in sustaining healthy ecosystems, promoting biodiversity, encouraging the removal of non-native, invasive plants, and supporting all efforts to help native bees, butterflies, birds, other pollinators, and wildlife. All plants protect our planet’s natural resources, including air, water, and soil. A significant number of North American native species, including insects, caterpillars, birds, and other animals, are at risk of extinction because they cannot eat non-native plants. In addition, habitat loss, the use of invasive species, climate change, and pesticide use are contributing to their steep decline.

Through a Native Plant Month proclamation, Arizona and its citizens can engage and make a difference right at home.

To access the proclamation and learn more about the initiative, visit the GCA's Native Plant Month page here.

To read the GCA’s Position Paper on native plants, click here.

Founded in 1913, the GCA is a nonpartisan, issue-oriented advocate for a beautiful, healthy planet. It is a nonprofit national organization recognized for its leadership in horticulture, conservation, creative arts, historic preservation, and environmental protection. Its mission is to bring its 200 member clubs together to cultivate a bond among people, plants, and the environment. The GCA member clubs consist of over 18,000 club members who devote energy and expertise to projects in their communities and across the United States.