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Kalmia Gardens of Coker University - The Laurel Branch
August 01, 2025
Welcome to our e-newsletter, The Laurel Branch!
It's Been a Wild Summer!
Kalmia Gardens' youth summer camp is a wrap! In July, campers ranging from rising first graders to rising sixth graders joined Kalmia staff to spend a week exploring the Gardens. Campers spent the mornings hiking in the natural areas, manicured gardens, and along the Black Creek while learning about nature and the environment. Special guests from Clemson Extension Carolina Clear, the Darlington County Master Gardener Association, and Black Creek Wildlife Center joined the campers throughout the week to teach them about the importance of water, plants, and animals. Of course, what would camp be without crafts, games, and making new friends?
While the summer may be winding down, we're so glad we got to spend some of it with these future environmental stewards. We can't until next year to do it all over again!
The Kalmia Gardens' Volunteer Program Gets a Revamp
Believe it or not, the staff at Kalmia Gardens is limited to three full time staff, and one part time, temporary position. That's a tiny staff to take care of 38 acres of natural areas, manicured gardens, the historic Hart House, programming, and more! How do we do it? With the help of volunteers!
Over the summer, Kalmia Gardens' staff have been working on formalizing the volunteer program to create the best experience for our volunteers, while helping to ensure the Gardens are maintained in tip top shape. As we worked on updating our volunteer program, we had not been able to start new volunteers with us, but look forward to doing so when we re-launch, ideally at the end of the summer. We encourage any new volunteers, or volunteers who have voiced interest in the past, to complete our revised volunteer application, found HERE to ensure they will be contacted by Kalmia staff with more information once the program re-launches, and to join an upcoming orientation.
Keep Up to Date on the Latest Kalmia Happenings on Social Media
While the Laurel Branch is a great way to stay in the loop of what's coming up at Kalmia Gardens, be sure to also follow us on social media on Facebook and Instagram too! Not only do you get to stay in the know on upcoming events, lectures, and other programming, but you also get to enjoy a small piece of Kalmia from the comfort of home, or on the go, throughout the week and not just once a month! Our social media pages are a great way to see beautiful photos of the landscape, learn about the environment, keep informed about upcoming opportunities, and generally see what we're up to!
Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series Continues
The Kalmia Gardens lecture series, Cultivating Knowledge, is back! Save the date for our next lecture, Garden Delicious: Using Edible Plants in Ornamental Garden Designs with Jimmy Brandt, Horticulture Supervisor at Moore Farms Botanical Garden.
Jimmy will highlight edible plants that make useful additions to your ornamental garden plant palette. Explore the appearance and ornamental attributes of both popular and less-common edible plants and how they can enhance your home garden. Alongside photographic examples, considerations and recommendations for use in a garden display design will be discussed for each plant.
Tickets are available HERE for purchase for $5. Multiple tickets may be purchased, but the form must be completed for each ticket purchase. Pre-registration is required. Lectures are held at the Joslin Education Center.
Save the dates for the following lectures coming later this year!
August 20, 2025, Noon - 1 p.m.
Garden Delicious: Using Edible Plants in Ornamental Garden Designs
Jimmy Brandt, Horticulture Supervisor at Moore Farms Botanical Garden
Pre-Register and Purchase Tickets HERE
September 17, 2025 Noon - 1 p.m.
Let's Talk about the Birds and the Bees: Backyard Birding and Beyond
Mary Ridgeway, Director Emeritus of Kalmia Gardens
Pre-Registration and Purchase Tickets HERE
October 15, 2025, Noon - 1 p.m.
Beekeeping 101: From Honeybee Biology to Starting Your Own Hive
Laura Del Vecchio, Senior Horticulturist and Resident Beekeeper at Moore Farms Botanical Garden
Pre-Register and Purchase Tickets HERE
November 19, 2025, Noon - 1 p.m.
Reflections on a Career in Horticulture and a Vision for the Future of the South Carolina Botanical Garden
Martin Hamilton, Executive Director of the South Carolina Botanical Garden at Clemson University
Pre-Register and Purchase Tickets HERE
Plant Questions? Get Answers from Master Gardeners!
Unraveling the mystery of our gardens and plants can be downright daunting. Where can you turn when you’re not sure why your favorite plant appears to suddenly be under the weather? While there seems to be an app for everything, there’s nothing quite like the knowledge of our Clemson Extension Master Gardeners – and they’re coming to Kalmia Gardens!
Bring your plant questions to Kalmia Gardens on August 5th from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the kiosk in the main parking lot. Master Gardeners will be on hand to help answer your most vexing questions so you can be all green thumbs.
No appointment is necessary, and you can drop in any time during the 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. time window.
Leave Your Mark - Consider Purchasing a Brick for the Conifer Trail
If you're like us, Kalmia Gardens holds a special place in your heart. For some, it's where their love of nature and the outdoors blossomed, for others, it's a welcome retreat from the busy world, and for even others, it's where they started the next chapter in their lives in marriage. While Kalmia Gardens has certainly left its mark on many of us, have you ever wondered how you can leave your mark on Kalmia? Consider purchasing a brick that will be placed on our Conifer Trail.
For $150, you can customize a brick that will be a lasting piece of Kalmia Gardens and will help benefit the organization. The engraved brick can honor someone special, or simply show your love and appreciation of Kalmia Gardens! To learn more about purchasing a brick for the Conifer Trail, please call Dan Hill at 843-383-8145, or email him HERE.
Partner Opportunity: The Great Southeast Pollinator Census
Save the date! August 22nd and 23rd marks the Great Southeast Pollinator Census where you can play a part in helping to gather valuable data! The University of Georgia invites residents of South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, and Alabama to take part in a citizen science opportunity to help count pollinators on your favorite plant. Not sure what to do? Visit their website HERE to learn how simple it is, and what a big impact you can make!
Chris's Tip
I think it's safe to say we're in the dog days of summer. The heat and humidity are almost unbearable, and it's in these times that I need to take a moment to remind myself that this weather isn't forever, and there is an end in sight. While I won't go as far as to call it a light at the end of the tunnel (the last thing I'm looking for is more heat!), I also wouldn't call it a mirage either, because trust me, cooler weather is coming! In these daunting conditions, it's the perfect time to start planning for the cool season garden.
We're lucky here in South Carolina because we're not so cold that we can't grow anything in the winter. This opens our gardens up to a new plant palette of cool season annuals and vegetables. If you're planning to start plants from seeds, you probably want to get things going ASAP! If you're planning to pick up pre-started (already in a pot and ready to plant) plants from the store, you've got a little more time.
As with any garden, we want to plan for our conditions - though this time it may be a little different than when we're planning with warm season plants in mind. While we plan for sun or shade plants in the garden, keep in mind that if you are planning for a shade area under a tree, ask yourself if that tree holds its leaves year-round (evergreen), or if it drops those leaves in the fall (deciduous). Making note of this is important, since an area we planted with shade annuals in the warm season under a Crape Myrtle can become a full sun location when the Crape Myrtle drops its leaves in the fall.
I also encourage my fellow gardeners to consider edible plants as ornamental additions. Many cool season annuals we add to our vegetable garden can create a beautiful effect in our ornamental beds. Consider using kales, cabbages, mustards, and even broccoli to enhance your landscape design! These plants are in the Brassicaceae family and some of them, like broccoli, can really create some strong interest in the garden if allowed to flower. A bonus to that? You even create an early nectar source for spring pollinators when the options can be limited. Talk about a plant that does it all! If you're thinking of adding veggies into your ornamental display, don't forget to come to our upcoming lecture, Garden Delicious: Using Edible Plants in Ornamental Garden Designs with Jimmy Brandt from Moore Farms Botanical Garden, who will be highlighting just this!
As we work our way through the end of summer, take a break from the heat and start planning for the cool season garden to come. It'll be here before we know it!Dan’s Interesting Plant
Every month I look forward to bringing you a new and interesting plant, many of which are great additions to your garden. This month's plant I would argue is quite intriguing, but it's actually a plant you never want to pop up in your garden. Let's take a look at what I think is one of the most cumbersome weeds.
Chamberbitter (Phyllanthus urinaria) is a weed you have probably seen in your garden, and if you haven't, I'm jealous! This obnoxious plant is not native and comes up as if out of thin air. It looks innocent enough when you first see it. It has green stems with leaves branching off horizontally. On the bottom of those horizontal branches are many tiny flowers. These flowers are inconspicuous and mostly go unnoticed. As the season goes on, the flowers become pollinated and fruit forms in their place. The fruit, which appear like tiny green balls, remain on the bottom of the stems, and may age to a reddish color as the season continues. If you've seen one of these in fruit before, you know the fruit is plentiful!
At the end of the season, once it gets too cold, Chamberbitter dies. But that's not where its story ends. While this year's Chamberbitter may be gone, remember that fruit we talked about? Chamberbitter is an annual, meaning it dies at the end of the year, and all those many, many Chamberbitter you see in your garden beds now are all fresh, new plants. So what can you do?
As much as you may hate to hear this, your best bet is probably to physically remove the plants before the flowers are pollinated and begin to go to fruit. While pre-emergent herbicide is sometimes recommended as a control method, it's not always effective. Another thing you can do is to plant your garden densely. If you leave no room, resources like space, water, nutrients, and sunlight, are limited, and any weed will have a hard time bullying your yard!
Beautiful Plants of Kalmia Gardens
Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora)
Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii)
Climbing Hempweed (Mikania scandens)
Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
Daylily (Hemerocallis cvs.)
Elephant's Foot (Elephantopus sp.)
Honeysuckle, Coral (Lonicera sempervirens)
Lantana (Lantana cvs.)
Lilyturf, Variegated (Liriope muscari 'Variegata')
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Rose-of-Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
St. Andrews Cross (Hypericum hypericoides)
Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans)
Waterlily (Nymphaea odorata)
Yucca, Mound Lily (Yucca gloriosa)EVENTS:
Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series
Garden Delicious: Using Edible Plants in Ornamental Garden Designs
Aug 20, Noon - 1 p.m.
Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series
Let's Talk about the Birds and the Bees: Backyard Birding and Beyond
Sept. 17, Noon - 1 p.m.
Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series
Beekeeping 101: From Honeybee Biology to Starting Your Own Hive
Oct. 15, Noon - 1 p.m.
Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series
Reflections on a Career in Horticulture and a Vision for the Future of the South Carolina Botanical Garden
Nov. 19, Noon - 1 p.m.Find Us On Facebook and Instagram
If you are on Facebook or Instagram, make sure you “like” Kalmia Gardens on Facebook and "follow" Kalmia Gardens on Instagram. It’s a great way to hear about events, stay updated on what’s happening, and view some nice pictures. We look forward to seeing your “thumbs up.”Supporting Kalmia Gardens
Kalmia Gardens is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public garden that is kept free and open to the public thanks to generous contributions from our donors. If you would like to support Kalmia Gardens in any amount, please consider making a tax deductible donation here.
Copyright © 2025 Kalmia Gardens of Coker University, All rights reserved.
Laurel Branch
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www.kalmiagardens.org
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Contact:Dan Hill, Director Kalmia Gardens of Coker Universitydhill@coker.edu, (843) 383-8145
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