Native Plant Garden to Promote Biodiversity

After months of planning, the Native Plant Demonstration Garden sponsored by the City of Isle of Palms and its Environmental Advisory Committee has been planted. The process began on a cold and windy day on February 29, 2024, when twelve volunteers removed the turf near the driftwood and palmetto tree in the center of the triangle of open space at Seventh Avenue and Palm Boulevard. With the help and direction of Sharleen Johnson of Native Plants to the People, the turf and weeds growing in it were dug up and covered with compost and pine straw.

This property is owned by the Isle of Palms Water and Sewer Commission, which has given the city temporary permission to use the space. In addition to the native plants in the center, there will be a purple martin gourd rack holding six large white plastic gourds and two benches donated by Isle of Palms residents. There will also be a City of Isle of Palms sign showing a QR code where visitors can open a diagram that identifies the names and locations of the plants.

On March 14, 2024, many of these same volunteers, four of whom are members of the Environmental Advisory Committee, returned and planted dozens of native plants which are surrounded by a black plastic edging.

Eleven of these plants have been featured in the Island Eye’s series of native plant articles. These are Blanket Flower (Gaillardia), Dune Sunflower, Lance-leaf Coreopsis, Turk’s Cap Hibiscus, Purple Coneflower, Orange Coneflower, Spotted Beebalm, Butterfly Milkweed, Muhly Grass (Sweetgrass),Yucca and Spiderwort. As a bonus Prickly Pear Cactus, Trumpet Creeper and Toadflax were already growing there.

Some of the other native plants there are two kinds of Sage, three kinds of Aster, Foxglove, Goldenrod, Wild Bergamot, Common Yarrow and ground covers called Frogfuit and Blue-eyed Grass.

Native plants and wildflowers do not tolerate transplantation well unless they are very young, just beginning to grow. That means it will be a few weeks before they are very noticeable in the garden. But with a good start of watering and weeding done by volunteers, it is our hope that they will not only be beautiful but will provide lots of pollen and nectar for different wildlife pollinators including hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. They will also survive and reproduce by seed, spreading without any more watering needed once they are established. That is the beauty and value of native plants that thrive here on their own.

Mary Pringle

IOP Environmental Advisory Committee

Stop by the triangle on 7th Avenue and watch the garden flourish! See a map of the garden below: