A Message from the Director
With August in the rearview mirror and September underway, summer is slowly working its way out, and cooler weather is just itching to make its way in. As the days (hopefully) begin to become cooler, it's a great time to take a hike through the shaded nature trails along Kalmia's 60' bluff. As always, Kalmia is delighted to welcome you and your leashed pup to enjoy the beauty of nature - from the wooded paths traversing the bluff to the boardwalks along Black Creek and everything in between. 
While we always encourage an appreciation of nature, we want to remind everyone to also respect the subtle power that nature holds too, and that sometimes even the most beautiful plant, animal, mushroom, or body of water can hold hazards. Please be mindful that our furry friends can become excited to take a sip of water from the pond or Black Creek, they may want to sample some plants along their journey, or perhaps investigate closer the animal they spotted in the woods. To make sure you and your pup have the best time possible, make sure to appreciate nature from a safe distance, avoid sampling the plants, and use potable water sources to get a refreshing sip, like the artesian well or from the water fountain - for both you and your dog!
Enjoy the end of summer, the beauty of nature, and stay safe out there!

-Dan Hill, Director

Preserving the Kalmia Beech Tree
It may look like Halloween came early this year at Kalmia, but those not-so-spooky decorations are actually the Kalmia staff at it again collecting seeds from Beech tree (Fagus grandifolia). As we work to preserve the legacy of this former state champion, our staff have placed mesh bags over developing fruit, known as beech nuts, that store the seeds within. While we did this last year, we learned a lot since then from our friends at the South Carolina Botanical Garden.
Last year, we found our first harvest of beech nuts was done too soon, in early October, and none of the seeds were viable. Next, we harvested again a few months later. These nuts appeared considerably more plump than the first time, but we soon discovered many of the seeds were still not viable. With a better idea of what to look for this year, we have more confidence that the beech nuts harvested will contain viable seeds. The seeds collected will again be shared with other South Carolina public gardens, allowing us to pass the genetics of this former state champion on to our partner gardens.

Preparing for the Cool Season
The heat this summer has been particularly relentless, and we have been eagerly awaiting a cool switch to fall. Regardless of how hot the weather is trending each summer, we begin thinking about our cool season display pretty early, in June. During this time, we make selections for what we'd like to plant, and then we submit a seed order.
Once the seeds arrive, we need to do a little research to see how long it will take for them to not only germinate, but when they'll be ready to go in the ground for planting. Other considerations are also weighed, which Chris discusses in this month's tip towards the end of the newsletter.
Once the technical aspect of seed sowing is sorted out, we need to decide when we want to ideally get our plants in the ground to switch over our warm season display, to our cool season display. Once we decide a date, we count back from our desired planting date by the number of weeks the seeds need to be ready for planting. So, for instance, if our desired planting date is October 12, and we have seed that should be ready to plant in six weeks, we count back six weeks from October 12, and would sow our seeds on August 31.
We're looking forward to a garden refresh in October for our cool season swap. Until then, our baby plants grow on!

Volunteers Wanted!
Are you interested in sharing your time and talent with Kalmia Gardens? Consider volunteering! Kalmia Gardens is seeking volunteers to help with garden maintenance, general upkeep, education opportunities and more. Volunteer hours are on weekdays, typically in the mornings. To learn more and to apply, please visit our volunteer page.

Complimentary Hart House Tours Continue
Our first complimentary Hart House tour kicked off last month, led by volunteer docent Dori. Don't miss out on our next tour on Thursday, September 10 at 10am. 
House tours are free, open to the public and are for all ages, but children must be accompanied by an adult. There is no pre-registration for tours, and availability is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please check our event page to find upcoming tours. 
Interested in a private tour of the Hart House or the grounds? Private tours can be booked by contacting us. Tours are priced at $75 for groups of 6 people or less, and $10 per person for 7 people or more.

 

Interested in learning more? Save the dates for our upcoming 2026 lectures, and purchase tickets while they are still available!

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
Sorry, no refunds on customer-initiated cancellations or no-shows for all lectures.

Chris's Tip
Have you started your cool season seeds yet? If not, don't worry, you still have time, but you probably don't want to wait too much longer. This month, your favorite tip-slinging columnist is here to guide you on how to increase your seed-starting success!
As we talked about earlier in the newsletter, you'll need to figure out how long it takes for your seeds to be garden-ready. That's definitely important, but making sure you follow the recommendations for how to sow them is also a pretty major consideration. Two important factors that can sometimes be overlooked is light needs and temperature. I know, I know, light needs, for a seed?! It sounds ludicrous, but hear me out.
Many seeds will have better germination depending on whether the seeds have access to light, versus if they are in the dark. Unfortunately, this information isn't always easy to find, so you may have to do a little sleuthing to figure it out. If your seed needs dark, you can simply either push your seed the recommended depth into the seed mix in your seed tray, or you can cover your seed with seed starting mix. If it needs light to germinate, you can place your seed atop your seed tray, and then cover it with vermiculite (available at garden supply and big box stores), which allows light through.
Temperature is another consideration. Different seeds require different temperatures to be able to germinate. For the cool season seeds we're starting, we can get these temperatures pretty easily by putting them in the greenhouse. However, when we're starting warm season seeds in the winter, we often use a heat mat to get the ideal temperature for our seeds. Here's an important tip on that one though - once your little seedlings pop up to say hello - take them off the heat mat! We've learned the hard way that keeping them on can cause the plants to stretch out, stress out, and dry out. I'm exhausted just mentally reliving it!
Happy sowing, my friends! May your seedlings be numerous and your gardens be lush!

Beautiful Plants of Kalmia Gardens
Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora)
Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica)
Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii)
Climbing Hempweed (Mikania scandens)
Crape Myrtle (Lagestroemia cvs.)
Dogwood (Cornus florida)
Elephant's Foot (Elephantopus sp.)
Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)
Hearts-a-Bustin' (Euonymus americanus)
Lantana (Lantana cvs.)
Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens)
Poke (Phytolacca americana)
Rabbit Tobacco (Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium)
Rose-of-Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum)
Spider Lily (Lycoris radiata)
St. Andrew's Cross (Hypericum hypericoides)
Viburnum, Possumhaw (Viburnum nudum)
Waterlily (Nymphaea odorata)
Yucca, Mounded-Lily (Yucca gloriosa)

EVENTS:
Sep. 10, 2026 10 a.m.
Hart House Tour
Sep. 16, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series:
How You Can Improve the World - Starting in Your Own Backyard
Oct. 8, 2026 10 a.m. 
Hart House Tour
Oct. 21, 2026, Noon - 1 p.m.
Cultivating Knowledge: A Lecture Series:
Thomas Hart, The Land, Money, and the Legacy

Copyright © 2026 Kalmia Gardens of Coker University, All rights reserved.
 Laurel Branch

Our mailing address is:
www.kalmiagardens.org