Naturally Kiawah Demonstration Garden
Located In Night Heron Park
The Naturally Kiawah Demonstration Garden in Night Heron Park serves as a
demonstration area for the Kiawah Conservancy’s Naturally Kiawah recognition program,
displaying a variety of plants that together create a structure that builds habitat for wildlife.
The garden serves as an important resource for property owners, visitors and landscapers
alike. It is located within Night Heron Park, adjacent to the bicycle path, near the soccer
field.
Understory
• The garden showcases a variety of understory plants: medium to small shrubs
and groundcovers. These plants provide necessary cover for many of Kiawah’s
wildlife, from songbirds to bobcats.
• Property owners are encouraged to create understory habitat within their
landscapes. The garden shows several groupings of plants that provide cover all
the way to the ground. This layering is an important characteristic for providing
habitat for as many species as possible.
• Instead of having open areas of turf, understory plants can be used to create
natural areas and boost the quality of vegetated buffers in property owners’ yards.
Plants
• The garden displays a variety of material that grows well in the conditions found
on Kiawah.
• Native plants, indigenous species that grow naturally on Kiawah and/or
throughout the southeast coastal plain, are labeled throughout the garden. These
plants play an invaluable role in Kiawah’s ecology.
Wildlife
• Not only does the structure of the garden provide opportunities for cover and
nesting, but many of the plants provide important functions for wildlife.
• Passionflower is used as the larval host plant by several butterflies
• Sweetgrass provides a seed source for small birds
• Yaupon holly berries are a food source for a host of migratory and resident
songbirds
• Coral honeysuckle provides nectar for hummingbirds
The Kiawah Conservancy thanks Bill Maneri for his time dedicated to the garden’s
design and to the Kiawah Island Golf Resort for devoting the garden’s space within Night
Heron Park and providing its maintenance.
Several naming opportunities within the garden are available for donors. Please
contact the Kiawah Conservancy office at 843-768-2029 or [email protected]
if you are interested in making a donation.
Photograph courtesy of Pamela Cohen
30