Gardening with Native Plants:
Bringing It Home to Kiawah
I
n the preceding article Amy Dabbs and Kim Counts Morganello shared
important information about gardening with native plants in our area,
but we wanted to discover even more about the topic as it relates
specifically to Kiawah Island. So we took what we had learned so far
and spoke with Leila Gable, Land Management Supervisor, at the Kiawah Island
Community Association, to add to our knowledge of how best to garden with
native plants on our Island.
NK: Amy and Kim name passion vine, sweetgrass, beautyberry, milkweed, seaside
goldenrod, and saw palmetto as good native plants to incorporate into a garden.
How well do these species grow on Kiawah?
Leila: All of them do well on our soil with the possible exception of milkweed.
Perhaps our winters are not typically cold enough to bring the hard frost that is
necessary for the milkweed seed to germinate by the next season. I have actually
had occasion to store milkweed seeds in the freezer for the next season.
Leila Gable
NK: Which native plants would you add to the list above?
Leila: You could add some blooming perennials to the mix to add some color. Some
examples would be blue false indigo (Baptisia australis), cabbage leaf coneflower
(Rudbekia maxima), rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), and butterfly
ginger (Hedychium coronarium). Coral bean (Erythrina herbacea) also does well
in our sandy soil. For trees I would include the red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) that
brings a nice red color and yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria), an evergreen shrub or
small tree, a great source of food for the birds
Beautyberry
NK: Do you have any advice for dealing with our gardens each spring when so
many varieties seem to have been damaged over the winter?
Leila: The first word I would use is PATIENCE! You will get the best results by not
removing dead leaves too early. Their vegetation provides shelter for the newly
emerging plant and will encourage better growth if left in place. Also, we all need to
develop a greater appreciation for the color brown. In Kiawah we do not get a huge
variety of seasonal colors, but we can learn to enjoy the colors of some of our native
grasses like river oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) that turn brown in the cold but
add interest to any garden, including the melodic rustling of the wind through
their dried leaves.
Coneflower
Saw palmetto
Photos by Sue Corcoran
NK: Any further thoughts about gardening with native plants?
Leila: We have such a great variety of plants that grow well on Kiawah Island and
can easily landscape using native species yet maintain a more formal, well defined
look if we prefer that. There is still color to be had and we can always include some
non-native plants like snap dragons or breeze grass for added interest. NK
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