Fall Grant Applications Due Sept 10!
Who Can Apply: Any organization, community group, or school interested in working with native plants in any capacity.
Eligible projects must be located in Bamberg, Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton, Jasper, or Orangeburg counties.
Award Amount: The maximum grant award is $1,000
Deadline to Apply: September 10, 2025
Application: Apply online using a simple Google Form
For full information, see: https://scnps.org/lowcountry-chapter-fall-2025-grants-program/ For inquiries, or for help with your application, please contact Grants Coordinator Matt Johnson at lowcountry.grants@scnps.org
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Lowcountry Fall Native Plant Market!
Saturday, September 27
9 am to 12 noon
Mount Pleasant Farmers Market, Moultrie Middle School, 645 Coleman Blvd, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
Co-sponsored by the Town of Mount Pleasant and SC Native Plant Society, Lowcountry Chapter
This event will be farmers market style with these vendors, each with their own check-out:
🌱Flying Fig Farm
🌱Holy City Plants
🌱Let It Grow
🌱Native Plants To The People
🌱Roots and Shoots Nursery
🌱SC Native Plant Society
📢CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS To volunteer with plant unloading and sale prep the day before (Friday 9/26), or help during the sale (Sat 9/27), please contact Eddie Bernard at edlbernard@aol.com. (Plant sale volunteers may choose either a 10% discount on pre-orders or a free one-gallon plant, in addition to early shopping the day of the sale.)
Shopping Tips:
👉Admission to the plant sale is free.
👉Bring boxes or a cart or wagon to carry your plants. Volunteers will help you.
👉There are restrooms on site.
👉Plant sale volunteers and current SCNPS members can start shopping early at 8:40.
Pre-Order Info for SCNPS Members (This is for pre-orders for plants for sale by the SCNPS Lowcountry Chapter, not by other plant sellers.)
This is a members-only opportunity! If you are not a current SCNPS member, you must join or renew your membership online before you place your order. Orders must be placed by Wednesday 9/10.
Place your order by emailing Eddie Bernard at edlbernard@aol.com. Write ‘Fall Native Plant Order’ in the subject line. Include your full name and phone number in the message and (if not you) the name of the person who will be picking up your order. Also please indicate if you plan to pick up on Friday or Saturday.
Plant sale volunteers may choose either a 10% discount on pre-orders, or a free one-gallon plant, in addition to early shopping the day of the sale. Please notify Eddie Bernard of your preference when placing your order.
For each plant ordered, please include: 1) Common and Botanical name of plant (plus variety if applicable), 2) Size of pot, 3) Quantity. VIEW AND DOWNLOAD FULL INFO AND PLANT LIST HERE.
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LECTURE: Tuesday, September 16, 6:30 pm
Barrier Island Wildflowers, Pollinators, and Other Friends
Judy Drew Fairchild, author of Backyard Butterflies of the Lowcountry
The Citadel’s Duckett Hall Auditorium, 2 Jones Ave, Charleston, SC 29403
Judy Drew Fairchild wrote the book she wished she’d had when her kids were younger, growing up in the lowcountry. Backyard Butterflies of the Lowcountry is a hyper-local guide to the butterflies, their caterpillars, and wildflower friends that grace her barrier island home on Dewees. Judy also produces short videos for a broad audience to showcase the wonder of the natural world. Join us for an engaging presentation to kick off the fall with renewed joy in our own backyards.
Enter Duckett Hall from Jones Ave and go up the short steps to the Auditorium on your left. Free parking is available after 5:00 PM in the parking lot south of Richardson Street, accessible from Mims Ave.
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FIELD TRIP: Saturday, September 20, 10 am to 1 pm
Dewees Island
Leaders: Judy Drew Fairchild & Lori Sheridan Wilson
Meet at Dewees Island Ferry Landing at Isle of Palms Marina, 46 41st Avenue no later than 9:45am to catch the 10 o’clock ferry to Dewees. This is an exclusive tour of the nature center, rice impoundment, and rookery on Dewees Island, accessible only by private ferry. The details of this field trip are still being finalized; logistics including the passenger capacity of the ferry and the cost (possibly up to $50) will be shared with registrants. If you are eager to explore this private barrier island environment, welcome Monarch butterflies back to their wintering grounds, and explore the rookery a 15-minute hike from the ferry terminal, join us for this fabulous tour led by Dewees Island Ecologist and Land Manager Lori Sheridan Wilson. Register at this link.
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Thursday-Sunday, Sept 25-28 at The Charleston Museum
The Hope Summit is an annual conference and festival held in Charleston at the end of September to highlight the challenges facing our community and celebrate the community-driven solutions possible through the dozens of nonprofits, community organizations, schools, and local agencies working to create agency and hope in coastal South Carolina.
Now in its fourth year, The Hope Summit has grown into a 4-day gathering including a two-day conference, a two-day film festival, a community-solutions festival with an arts and creative solutions showcase, and a day of outings and unique Lowcountry experiences.
THS 2025 Conference
Sept 25 – 26
The Conference returns as a two-day intersectional and multi-disciplinary gathering at the Charleston Museum to explore “resilience, regeneration, and the restoration economy.”
THS 2025 Film Festival
Sept 26 – 27
Stories have the power to change the world. At The Hope Summit, we aspire to inspire by showcasing powerful stories about solutions-driven action.
THS 2025 Community Festival
Sept 27
A family-friendly open-air festival featuring nonprofits, sustainable local businesses, workshops, and an Arts & Creative Solutions Showcase.
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 Registration Now Open! Tickets are now on sale for the 2025 Statewide Symposium! The statewide symposium brings together SCNPS members from all chapters, and this year, the Grand Strand chapter will be hosting! Throughout the weekend of October 17-19, there will be numerous field trips, presentations, workshops, and opportunities to meet and connect with fellow members.
The majority of events will be held in Murrells Inlet at Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park, with several additional field trips throughout the Grand Strand region.
This year’s theme will be Gentians. In South Carolina, the family Gentianaceae spans a wide range of habitats from the mountains to the coast. Within the Grand Strand region, gentians can be found among riverbanks, salt marshes, and longleaf pine savannas. We are excited to celebrate the unique ecology of these plants and to highlight the conservation issues they face.
More information about the 2025 symposium, including details about accommodations, can be found at scnps.org/symposium2025.
The 2025 symposium will be open to SCNPS members (from any chapter) only. If you are not already a member, please join us today!
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Coral honeysuckle, photo by JK Marlow
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
Lowcountry Native Plant Alternatives to Invasives
Invasive species are non-native plants that spread aggressively, outcompeting native vegetation, reducing wildlife habitat and disrupting ecosystems. Many were introduced for horticulture use, while others arrived unintentionally through human activity.
There are native alternatives that offer the same appealing traits, such as showy blooms, evergreen foliage, fall color, or unique forms, while thriving in the same sun and soil conditions. These native plants not only provide beauty and resilience in landscapes but also support local biodiversity. Download an informative list here.
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© 2025 South Carolina Native Plant Society. All rights reserved. The South Carolina Native Plant Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working to protect and restore native plants and educate our communities. Your contributions are tax deductible.
Our mailing address is: Lowcountry Chapter | PO Box 20798 | Charleston, SC 29413 |
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