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The Laurel Branch

February 06, 2026

Community

Welcome to our e-newsletter, The Laurel Branch!

New Year, New Projects
The Kalmia Gardens team has jumped into the new year! We have been hard at work continuing our upkeep of the Gardens, including general maintenance of the Hart House, like cleaning the gutters, tending to the garden, and planning for the year ahead. Read on to learn about upcoming events and what we've been up to!

Get Your Tickets and Sponsorships - Oyster Roast Will be Here Soon!
The annual Oyster Roast is a longstanding Kalmia tradition, and this year we honor Miss May Coker and celebrate 90 years as a public garden.
Join us for our biggest fundraiser of the year and enjoy endless oysters, catered foods, flowing beer, wine, and soft drinks, all in the company of good friends and the beauty of Kalmia Gardens. Sponsorships are also available, allowing your organization to be publicized at the event and in our social media promoting the event. Don't wait - this event does sell out, and trust us - you don't want to miss it! To get your tickets or sponsorship, visit us HERE.

Plant Grafting Workshop February 26th at the Joslin Education Center
Join us for our first workshop of the year on February 26th from 10am until noon at the Joslin Education Center. Evan Baker, Production Manager at Moore Farms Botanical Garden, will lead his workshop, Plant Grafting: History, Science and Art. This hands on workshop will teach the history behind grafting, why this method works, and how to utilize this skill in your own garden. Participants will graft their own Bald Cypress to take home. All materials and tools, including grafting knives for borrowed use, are provided. Attendees are welcome to bring their own grafting knife if preferred. Pre-registration and $40 tickets can be purchased HERE while they are still available! Tickets are extremely limited - get yours before they're gone!
Please note, the workshop is held at the Joslin Education Center (1520 W. Carolina Avenue, Hartsville, S.C. 29550). This address is different from our Kalmia Gardens address.

Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series Continues
Lectures continue in February with Carmen Ketron, Urban Horticulture Agent and Master Gardener Coordinator for Darlington and Florence counties at Clemson Extension, presenting her lecture, Converting Your Lawn to Garden. She will share a comprehensive presentation that teaches proven techniques for converting grass areas into beautiful, productive garden beds. Discover site assessment, grass removal methods, soil preparation, plant selection, and maintenance strategies. Leave with the knowledge to create an eco-friendly space that uses less water and chemicals than traditional lawns.
Pre-registration and $5 tickets can be purchased HERE while they are still available!
Please note, lectures are held at the Joslin Education Center (1520 W. Carolina Avenue, Hartsville, S.C. 29550). This address is different from our Kalmia Gardens address.
Interested in learning more? Save the dates for our upcoming 2026 lectures, and purchase tickets while they are still available!

February 18, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
Converting Your Lawn to Garden
Carmen Ketron, Urban Horticulture Agent and Master Gardener Coordinator for Darlington and Florence counties at Clemson Extension
April 15, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
Early History of Kalmia Gardens
Dr. George Sawyer, Director Emeritus of Kalmia Gardens
May 20, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
Managing Stormwater Runoff in the Home Landscape
Geraldine Cuypers, Water Resources Agent for Florence County Cooperative Extension
June 17, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
A Hypochondriac’s Guide to Gardening
Lucy Contreras, Assistant Director of Kalmia Gardens
August 19, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
Invasive Species: Rebalancing Your Backyard Ecosystem
Kaela Miller, Plant Collections Coordinator at Brookgreen Gardens
September 16, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
How You Can Improve the World - Starting in Your Own Backyard
Mary Ridgeway, Director Emeritus of Kalmia Gardens
October 21, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
Thomas Hart, The Land, Money, and the Legacy
Brian Gandy, Historian and Director of Darlington County Historical Commission and Museum

Beech Tree Update
If you're a frequent visitor to Kalmia Gardens, you may have noticed the Beech (Fagus grandifolia) outside the Hart House looks a little different. For months, the Beech had played host to a number of bags that enveloped select branches. While these bags may have looked like neglected Halloween decorations, they were in fact a tool to help us save and collect seeds of the tree.
The Beech fruit, which look like brown, spiky ovals, appears on the tree after flowering. When the fruit is mature, it dries and cracks open, dropping its seeds to the ground. In our efforts to preserve the legacy of this magnificent, but declining, tree, we have used the bag to capture those seeds.
At the start of the year, Director, Dan Hill, scaled a ladder to release the seed-filled bags from the tree, and Assistant Director, Lucy Contreras, sorted through the bags, pulling out seeds to be collected. These seeds will be shared with other public gardens so the progeny, or descendants, of this grand tree may live on, even when the time comes when our beloved Beech is no longer here.

The South Carolina Public Garden Alliance Elects its First President: Kalmia Gardens' Assistant Director, Lucy Contreras
The South Carolina Public Garden Alliance (SCPGA), a professional group of public gardens, arboreta, campuses, conservation organizations, municipalities, and other institutions with a strong emphasis on public horticulture in South Carolina, has elected its first president - our very own Assistant Director, Lucy Contreras. Lucy has been a member of the SCPGA since it launched in the spring of 2024 and has worked alongside other members to formalize the group, including working on the creation of bylaws and the formation of a Board.
The SCPGA is a great professional resource in the South Carolina public garden community, and one that Lucy is excited to further. The Alliance has already allowed for beneficial opportunities for Kalmia and its staff, including educational lectures at its yearly Symposium, and bringing new plant material back to Kalmia through propagation days held at other participating organization's gardens.

Chris's Tip
February is a chilly month, to put it mildly. In fact, let's not mince words - February is downright cold! While working outside in these frigid conditions isn't a walk in the park - though you could argue, it is for me! - the only thing worse than having to work in miserable cold, is having to work to repair busted water pipes in miserable cold. For that reason, I wanted to give you a tip you hopefully already know about, and have been putting to use - protecting your pipes.
You may be asking yourself what a general home maintenance tip is doing here, and not something based around gardening. I'll tell you - if you water your outdoor plants, you likely have a spigot attached to the outside of your house: this applies to your home and your garden. Here at Kalmia, when we see the temperature is going to reach 32 degrees or below, it's time we take measures to protect our pipes. As I'm sure you know, if water freezes in your pipes, it runs the risk of breaking them, leading to a water leak. I can't express how much you don't want that.
By taking easy, economic, and manageable steps, you can protect your pipes (and your wallet). For many, their homes have spigots attached to the side of the house. You can pick up spigot insulators affordably at most home improvement stores. For pipes not attached directly to the home, such as spigots coming from the ground, try this inexpensive Kalmia trick - grab an old pool noodle, cut it as needed, and adhere it with tape to the pipe. This will keep those pipes nice, cozy, and free of fractures that will send water almost as high as your utility bill!

Dan’s Interesting Plant
Winter gardens may not has offer as wide of a variety of flowering plants to see in the landscape as compared to the other seasons of the year, but the ones that show up... Well, they certainly show up! We easily think of the Japanese and Sasanqua Camellias, alongside the Paperbush, and Flowering Apricot. These are spectacular plants that flower in the cold of winter, and tend to hold their flowers for weeks without flinching. I want to turn the spotlight, however, to another winter flowering tree that steals the show, but isn't willing to come out for an encore. Let's talk about the Sauce Magnolia, or Magnolia x soulangeana.
Unlike our native Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), the Saucer Magnolia is not evergreen. Every fall, the leaves of the Saucer Magnolia drop, leaving it bare through the winter, but allowing for an unobstructed view of its incredible flowers when it blooms around February. As with many perennial plants, the flowers don't last for long, about two weeks on the long end. Main point? See them as soon as you hear they're out!
A fine planting of this tree can be found in our parking lot. It's hard to miss when in flower. As the flowers age, and the petals drop, the ground is adorned with its purple-pink and white petals. Be sure to follow us on social media to find out when you can expect to (quickly) plan a trip to see it in all its flowering glory!

Image: "Magnolia x soulangeana (Jean Tosti)" by Jean Tosti is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Beautiful Plants of Kalmia Gardens
Alder, Tag (Alnus serrulata)
Apricot, Flowering (Prunus mume cvs.)
Camellia, Japanese (Camellia japonica cvs.)
Camellia, Sasanqua (Camellia sasanqua cvs.)
Daffodil (Narcissus spp. cvs.)
Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
Maple, Japanese Coral Bark (Acer palmatum cvs.)
Magnolia, Saucer (Magnolia x soulangeana)
Quince (Chaenomeles japonica)
Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)
Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens)
Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum)
Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria)

EVENTS:
Feb. 11 2026, 9 a.m. - Noon
Ask a Master Gardener
Feb. 18, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series:
Converting Your Lawn to Garden
Feb. 26, 2026, 10 a.m. - Noon
Plant Grafting: History, Science and Art
Mar. 11, 2026, 9 a.m. - Noon
Ask a Master Gardener
Mar. 21, 2026, 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Oyster Roast Fundraiser
Tickets and sponsorships available now!
Apr. 15, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series:
Early History of Kalmia Gardens
April 16 - 18, 2026
Darlington County Master Gardener Plant Sale
April 16 - 17, 2026, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
April 18, 2026, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
April 18, 2026 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Earth Day Festival
May 20, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series:
Managing Stormwater Runoff in the Home Landscape
Jun. 17, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series:
A Hypochondriac’s Guide to Gardening
Aug. 19, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series:
Invasive Species: Rebalancing Your Backyard Ecosystem
Sep. 16, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series:
How You Can Improve the World - Starting in Your Own Backyard
Oct. 21, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series:
Thomas Hart, The Land, Money, and the Legacy

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.