A little gardening project on IOP...

On Thursday, 3/14/24, a native plant garden installation was completed on Isle of Palms, at the corner of 7th Avenue and Palm Blvd.

The idea for the native plant garden was initially developed in 2023 by Mary Pringle, who lives down the street from the site, and is on the IOP Environmental Advisory Committee. The land is owned by the IOP Water & Sewer department, and had been dormant for several years. Mary and the City approached the Water & Sewer department in 2023 about the possibility of leasing the land for a minimum of 2 years for the garden project.

In the Fall of ’23, the lease was approved, and Mary contacted our CMNA member, Sharleen Johnson, for help with design of the garden as well as advice on which native plants would work best in the full sun at the site. The City of Isle of Palms approved funding to purchase the plants, and the Environmental Advisory Committee approved Sharleen’s final design of the garden.

The first phase of the project – the site prep - was started on 2/29/24. Volunteers from the EAC, the Island Turtle Team, and local residents met to begin digging up the sod for the garden area, laying manure, and then laying a final layer of pine straw. Two weeks later, on 3/14, the group met again to do the planting. Some of the native plants Sharleen chose for the site include Dune Sunflower, Purple Coneflower, Wild Bergamont, and Butterfly Milkweed. All of the plants attract a variety of pollinators. In addition to the garden, a Purple Martin nesting gourd stand was erected. There will also be two benches installed in the coming weeks that are being donated through the IOP Exchange Club.

If you are visiting IOP and find yourself in the vicinity of 7th and Palm Blvd., please stop by and watch our garden grow!