Please Note: NO APRIL LECTURE! Save the dates for these May events:
Saturday, May 17 – Field trip to Roxbury Park with Tom Austin, Director of Land Conservation, Edisto Island Open Land Trust
Tuesday, May 20 – Lecture: Protecting Edisto Island, Forever: The Power of Collaborative Private Lands Conservation Tom Austin, Director of Land Conservation, Edisto Island Open Land Trust
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 Lowcountry Spring Native Plant Market!
Saturday, April 19, 2025
10 am to 1 pm
In the parking lot of
Boone Hall Farms, Willie’s Roadside Market
2434 Highway 17 North, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
(The Hwy 17 entrance, not the Long Point Road entrance)
Join us for our Spring Native Plant Sale which will be farmer’s-market-style with colorful perennials, shrubs, trees, grasses, ferns, and edible plants. Free Admission.
Vendors include:
Flying Fig Farm
Holy City Plants
Let It Grow
Native Plants to the People
Milkweed Madness
Roots and Shoots Nursery
SC Native Plant Society
Shoppers and volunteers, please bring extra boxes and/or a wagon to carry plants to your car! (Plant list coming soon)
In addition to our native plant market, you can make a day of it onsite by shopping at Willie’s Roadside Market, who will have all their usual offerings with strawberries still available. Or stay and take an afternoon tour of Boone Hall. For more information about the site, please visit Home – Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens – Mt. Pleasant, SC.
WE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS for these times:
• Friday April 18: 9:45 am to 12:45 pm – Assist with unloading the truck, setting up the site and organizing pre-orders.
• Saturday April 19: 8:30 am to 1:00 pm – Assist with vendor setup, crowd management, and general assistance with customer questions.
• Saturday April 19: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm – Assist with breakdown and cleanup.
• Volunteers (and SCNPS members) can shop early on Saturday at 9:40am, 20 minutes ahead of the public.
To volunteer, please contact Eddie Bernard at edlbernard@aol.com.
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Saturday, April 26, 10 am – 4 pm
Field Trip: Hike and Paddle at the Black River Cypress Preserve
Coordinator: Rebecca Fanning
Join the Lowcountry Chapter of the Native Plant Society for a tour of the native plant communities located at the Black River Cypress Preserve, followed by a paddle (limited capacity) on the Black River.
Carpool: If you would like to carpool or caravan, meet us from 8:30 to 8:45 am in the parking lot of the Harris Teeter located at 2035 SC-41, Mt Pleasant, SC 29466 on the south side of the Francis Marion.
Nature Walk: At 10 am, our tour of the Native Plant Garden and hike around the Swampside Tract begins. Meet in the parking lot located to the left once you’ve entered the property, located at 16368 County Line Road, Andrews, SC.
Pack a Lunch: Enjoy lunch at the Gin Pavilion before setting off to the Peninsula Tract located a short distance away at 91 Hammock Road for a paddle (limited capacity) or a hike of the beautiful 170-acre property.
4 pm: We will head home.
Registering for the Paddle: All paddling gear will be generously provided by the Black River Cypress Preserve, and the capacity is limited to 15 people. Field Trip coordinator Rebecca Fanning will reach out once you’ve registered for the trip to sign folks up on a first-come, first-served basis.
What to Bring: Plenty of water to drink, pack a lunch, wear close-toed shoes. If you are signed up to paddle, wear secure shoes that can get wet (no slides) and a change of clothes just in case.
Registration is required and will open two weeks prior to the date of the trip. Please register here.
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 Volunteers Needed for Upcoming Outreach Events!
The Lowcountry Chapter will be participating in several native-plant-related events this spring (see list below) and we need volunteers to help table at these events. It’s a great way to get involved with the chapter and meet community members who are learning about native plants. Tabling events are simple – we have a booth set up for a few hours (you don’t need to commit to the entire time frame) with information about the Society and our activities, and SCNPS merchandise. We would love to have some Lowcountry members represent us! If you’re interested in volunteering for an hour or two, please contact Paula Carr at lowcountry.outreach@scnps.org
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Check out our new SCNPS merchandise! New t-shirt colors, hats, mugs, water bottles, stickers, hoodies, long-sleeved shirts, baby and toddler sizes! https://scnps.org/shop/
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ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING OF INTEREST
Thursday, April 17, 11 am – 2 pm MUSC Greenest Day Celebration, MUSC Colbert Library Portico, 171 Ashley Avenue, Charleston
Local artists, farmers, food trucks, musicians, and eco-conscious nonprofits.
April 23-26, 2025
75th Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This event features professionally-guided walks, exhibits, and other opportunities to explore the region’s rich natural and cultural resources. Attendees from 40 states and countries make the pilgrimage each year to learn about fungi, ferns, wildflowers, trees, shrubs, medicinal plants, insects, salamanders. snakes, birds, mammals, journaling, art, photography, and park history. https://www.wildflowerpilgrimage.org/
July 16-19, 2025 The Cullowhee Native Plant Conference + Scholarship Info
Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC
Registration for the 2025 conference opened April 1. Don’t miss out on registering as field trips fill up quickly!
https://www.wcu.edu/engage/professional-enrichment/conferences-and-community-classes/the-cullowhee-native-plant-conference/
The Scholarship Program has been an important part of the Cullowhee Conference since the conference began in 1984. Approximately 20 scholarships to the Cullowhee Conference are annually awarded to students, interns at botanical gardens, nature centers and/or parks, and to beginning professionals in a native plant-related field. Also, the Scholarship Program is open to applicants with careers in environmental and science education. Any individual in these categories who can demonstrate an interest in native plants and their use in the landscape – through horticulture, botany, ecology, landscape architecture/design, education, or a related field is encouraged to apply for a scholarship.
The deadline for scholarship applications is midnight, Sunday, April 14. Applications received after this time will be considered only after punctual and complete applications have been judged and awarded. Applications without the information requested, which includes recommendations, are incomplete and will be considered late. Scholarship awards will be made by email in May.
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