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Kalmia Gardens - The Laurel Branch

March 06, 2026

Community

Welcome to our e-newsletter, The Laurel Branch!

Time is Running Out to Get your Oyster Roast Tickets!
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. Don't wait - this event does sell out, and trust us - you don't want to miss it! To get your tickets, visit us HERE.

Kalmia Gardens' Free Earth Day Celebration
Come celebrate Earth Day at Kalmia Gardens on April 18, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.! This free event is fun for the whole family and includes local vendors and exhibitors that can’t wait to meet you and share their love of the natural world. Enjoy nature hikes throughout the grounds all while appreciating the wonders of Mother Nature.
Are you interested in becoming a free vendor at Earth Day? Contact us!

Darlington County Master Gardener Association Spring Plant Sale
The popular Master Gardener Plant Sale is back this spring with more of your favorite plants at the Joslin Education Center. The sale runs from Thursday and Friday, April 16th and 17th from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., and Saturday April 18th from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. and will have plenty of Master Gardeners available to help you pick the best plants for your unique growing situation. Our tip? Come with your own cart and plan to get there ASAP!

Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series
Lectures continue in April with Dr. George Sawyer, Kalmia Gardens' Director Emeritus, presenting his lecture, Early History of Kalmia Gardens.
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!

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

Director, Dan Hill, Marks 15 Years of Volunteer Weather Observations
The weather can tell a story, but sometimes that story isn't immediately clear. Kalmia Gardens' Director, Dan Hill, helps to co-author that tale by collecting weather data right here Kalmia Gardens. This information is shared through the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network through the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. As a volunteer observer, Dan checks our rain gauge to record weather data that is then shared and used to understand and study climate trends and variability within our state.
We are incredible lucky to have Dan Hill not only overseeing Kalmia Gardens, but also diligently providing valuable information to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and allowing Kalmia to play a part in our state weather's story.

Adopt a Stream FREE Training Opportunity!
Adopt a Stream is a volunteer water monitoring program that helps assess the health and water quality of our local waterways. Training for Freshwater Monitoring will be held on March 26th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Joslin Education Center at Kalmia Gardens. To register for this free training, sign up HERE.
Please note, the Joslin Education Center has a different address than Kalmia Gardens. Please put the following address into your GPS to find the Joslin Education Center: 1520 W. Carolina Avenue, Hartsville, S.C. 29550.

Partner Opportunity! Friends of Carolina Sandhills NWR
Walks with Kay is back, but with a few guest hosts, including nationally renowned naturalist Josh Arrants on March 28th! For more information and to register, see their graphic below, or visit their Facebook page HERE.

Chris's Tip
With spring around the corner, we're eager to get the Gardens dressed up for the season to come! One of my favorite tips to have a garden that looks clean, put together, and is a breeze, is timing out when to put down your pine straw.
If you have existing perennial beds, it's likely many of your plants have gone dormant for the winter, and haven't started popping their heads out for the new year quite yet. This is your window! Get your pine straw and apply it over your beds, and right over the top of your perennials. This will allow your plants to grow through the pine straw, creating a seamless look. On top of that, you don't have to fuss with trying to delicately place the pine straw around the emerging plants, while taking care not to break new stems, or have a messy looking application.
Not all my tips are overly elaborate, and this simple one will be paying you back with more time to plan what else will come in your warm season garden, while you keep an eye out for any perennials peeking through.

Dan’s Interesting Plant
As humans, our diets are rich with a number of different foods. Perusing the produce section at the grocery store can be like taking a walk around the world, with fruits and vegetables available to us from all over. With so many options, it's sometimes hard to believe that some of our culinary staples are not only able to grow right here at home, but some of them are even native to us in South Carolina! This month's berry special plant is the Highbush Blueberry, or Vaccinium corymbosum.
These plants are excellent in a number of different planting situations - from edible landscaping, to ornamental gardens, to ecologically-minded designs - they do it all! So let's break it down and make sure we check off all the boxes. These plants grow as shrubs and produce the fruit we love to eat - check for edible gardens! They have a nice form and excellent fall foliage - check for ornamental gardens! Their fruit provides a source of food for birds and they are a host plant for Brown Elfin caterpillars - check for ecological gardens!
But I know what you're probably thinking. Birds are great to see in the garden, but maybe not so much when they're munching away on your blueberries. You can cover your plants with bird netting, which will help to deter the birds from getting to your delicious berries, but you do risk catching a bird instead. If you can stand it, share some of your blueberry yield with our avian friends, and enjoy a garden that feeds you, your local ecosystem, and looks good doing it!

"Vaccinium corymbosum a2" by Opioła Jerzy (Poland) is licensed under CC BY 2.5.

Beautiful Plants of Kalmia Gardens
Azalea (Rhododendron indicum cvs.)
Azalea, Pinxterbloom (Rhododendron periclymenoides)
Blueberry, Highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum)
Blueberry, Lowbush (Vaccinium angustifolium)
Bridalwreath (Spiraea thunbergii)
Camellia, Japanese (Camellia japonica cvs.)
Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)
Devilwood (Catrema americana)
Dogwood (Cornus florida)
Forsythia (Forsythia viridissima)
Magnolia, Star (Magnolia stellata)
Maple, Red (Acer rubrum)
Pearlbush (Exochorda racemosa)
Quince (Chaenomeles japonica)
Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens)
Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera)
Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum)

EVENTS:
Mar. 11, 2026, 9 a.m. - Noon
Ask a Master Gardener
Mar. 21, 2026, 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Oyster Roast Fundraiser
Tickets 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 C elebration
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.