Cypress Gardens Horticulture

Breath of Spring Flower Show

2012-02-03T19:16:00.000-05:00

The Berkeley Area Gardens Clubs will present the 5th Annual Breath of Spring Flower Show at Cypress Gardens March 1-4, 2012. The Theme for the show is Honoring the 80th Anniversary of Cypress Gardens - "Berkeley's Natural Gem" The show will feature daffodils, camellias and floral designs.

The public may enter blooming cut flowers, shrubs and potted plants on Feb 29 from 8am to 11am. Please see the rules for entering and other information at https://sites.google.com/site/ourflowershow/ . The show will open to the public from 10-4 each day.

The show is included in the regular admission to Cypress Gardens. www.cypressgardens.info or (843) 553-0515. at 3030 Cypress Gardens Rd., Moncks Corner SC 29460

The 2010 Breath of Spring Flower Show won a National Award from National Garden Clubs.

2011-12-21T10:49:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Vivian for sending me these old post cards. I always like to look at old photos of the Gardens to see how things have changed over the years.

2011-11-25T16:32:00.001-05:00

I will be giving a program on Azalea Caterpillars this Monday night for the Azalea Society,

Ya' come

Kathy Woolsey

What: Azalea Society of America: The Rev. John Drayton Chapter meets on the 4th Monday of every month.

When: 6:30 p.m. Nov. 28.

Where: Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, 3550 Ashley River Road. Charleston SC

More Info: 571-1266 or www.facebook.com/pages/Azalea-Society-of-America-Rev-John-Drayton-Chapter/121209617 933132.

or see my page
http://cypressgardener.blogspot.com/p/azalea-caterpillar.html

A Little History

2011-11-20T19:10:00.001-05:00

I was cleaning out some old files when I came across this old brochure from about 1990. It folds down the middle. Some of the photos were taken before Hurricane Hugo and some after.

2011-10-11T21:43:00.001-04:00

For October's Master Gardener local program Cypress Gardens Horticulturist Kathy Woolsey explored several important plants that originated from Africa with the slave trade and are still grown in South Carolina today! Okra, watermelon, eggplant, yams, benne seed, gourds and rice will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on rice cultivation, as Kathy has been perfecting her rice growing techniques for several years now at Cypress Gardens.

Out of Africa -Plants Of the Slave Trade

2011-09-25T16:11:00.000-04:00

I will be giving a program to local Master Gardeners at 6:30 on Tuesday October 11 in the new Plantation Heritage Museum at Cypress Gardens. The program will start with a short walk to the rice field. Master Gardeners will be able to harvest a few stalks to take home. Back at the museum we will look at the exhibits and I will talk about plants of the slave trade,okra, watermelon, eggplant,yams, benne seed, gourds, and rice. Kathy

Watching Grass Grow

2011-07-17T20:50:00.003-04:00

Our Rice continues to grow -still looks like tall grass. Last week a small alligator crawled in a did a little damage. We managed to get him back in the lake.

Rice up and growing

2011-06-15T19:13:00.002-04:00

I planted the rice on May 30 -a little late this year. The rows are about 10 inches apart.Photos taken on June 15, after 3rd flooding. News signs about rice cultivation on Dean Hall Plantation have recently been installed.

The Bog Garden

2011-05-15T07:47:00.011-04:00

The Bog Iris are now in bloom. This iris is the last of our native iris to bloom. The violet-blue blooms of the iris contrast sharply against the lime green Pitcher plants. this always make a great photo. Also look for Sarracenia purpurea and Droseria intermedia -sundews.

Native Iris in the Garden

2011-04-22T11:57:00.003-04:00

Hurry to the garden to see the native Iris in bloom!

Native Iris is blooming

2011-04-19T14:19:00.001-04:00

The Native Iris is staring to bloom in the garden. Come visit and see all the variety and colors while they last.

Azaleas in Peak Bloom!

2011-04-06T15:44:00.001-04:00

The weather is great and the Azaleas are in full bloom right now. Don’t miss this wonderful display! Iris is also starting to bloom and pitcher plants are blooming.

Azaleas Blooms

2011-03-28T21:19:00.004-04:00

The azaleas are now in bloom. As usual the last week of March and the first week of April is the best time to come to the gardens to see 100's of azaleas either by boat are garden path.

2011-03-09T08:41:00.003-05:00

The Berkeley Area Gardens Clubs their 4th annual Breath of Spring Flower Show at Cypress Gardens from March 9-11, 2011.The theme for the show is “The Magic of Movies” and it will feature daffodils, camellias and floral designs inspired by movie titles. A number of movies have been made at Cypress Gardens including “The Patriot” ,”Swamp Thing” ,“The Notebook” and “North and South”. Open to the public from 10-4 on Wednesday and Thursday and 9-2 on Friday, the show is included in the regular admission to Cypress Gardens -- $10 adults, $9 seniors, $5 children.
www.cypressgardens.info or 553-0515 for location information. 3030 Cypress Gardens Rd. Moncks Corner SC 29460

Cypress Gardens Blooms and Birds

2011-02-28T19:51:00.003-05:00

Photo observations from February 28, 2011. Come out and see the Camellia’s,daffodils and birds.

Spring Flower Show

2011-01-26T20:18:00.000-05:00

The Berkeley Area Gardens Clubs will present the 4^th annual Breath of Spring Flower Show at Cypress Gardens March 9-11, 2011. The Theme for the show is “The Magic of Movies” The show will feature daffodils, camellias and floral designs inspires by movie titles. A number of movies have been made at Cypress Gardens including “The Patriot” ,”Swamp Thing” ,“The Notebook” and “North and South”.

The public may enter blooming cut flowers, shrubs and potted plants on Tuesday March 8 from 8am to 11am. Please see the rules for entering and other information at https://sites.google.com/site/ourflowershow/ .

The show will open to the public from 10-4 on Wednesday and Thursday and 9-2 on Friday.

phone (843)553-0515. 3030 Cypress Gardens Rd. Moncks Corner SC 29460

2011-01-09T17:30:00.000-05:00

I like to go to the boat dock early in the morning, the light coming thourgh the trees at dawn, the reflection of the black water, the ever changing seasons - all make the gardens a facinating place to photogragh.

Swamp Dogwood

2010-09-16T20:50:00.001-04:00

Though the swamp dogwood Cornus foemina may go unnoticed by most of our visitors it is very appealing to birds . This tree unlike its showy cousin the flowering dogwood Cornus florida lacks large flowers and bright red berries. The Swamp Dogwood blooms in the spring with small pale flowers that turn into white berries. In August the berries turn blue and birds flock to dine on them. I planted a swamp dogwood in our arboretum near the Butterfly House about 12 years ago. The tree, now fully mature, is about 25 feet tall with a spreading canopy. I rarely see Redheaded Woodpeckers at Cypress Gardens but when I do they are always in this tree. Last year I saw both juvenile and adults eating the berries. Earlier this week I saw Redhead, Pileated, Downy and Red Bellied Woodpeckers in the tree. Laura came by to see this bird magnet on Friday and we racked up a list of birds feeding on the berries. Male and female Summer Tanagers, a Red-eyed Vireo, a family of Bluebirds, Brown Thrashers, Mockingbirds, juvenile Red-headed and juvenile Red-bellied woodpeckers, Kingbirds and a small flock of Purple Martins flew over. We have two types of swamp dogwoods C. foemina and C. amomum the later is shorter and bushy. The birds eat the berries of both.

Butterflies Aug. 11, 2010

2010-08-11T12:40:00.003-04:00

I saw these butterflies while I was taking photos for Cypress Gardens Volunteers Facebook page.Queen, Julia Long Wing, Southern White and Balck Swallowtail

Wood Storks in the Swamp

2010-07-28T18:54:00.000-04:00

Today we had 6 wood storks visit the swamp, they could be seen from the trail near the spillway and from the boat tours. Wood stork numbers have been increasing in South Carolina in the past ten years.

what others are saying about Cypress Gardens

2010-06-11T22:01:00.002-04:00

please check out this article:
http://www.examiner.com/x-50937-Charleston-Outdoor-Adventure-Examiner~y2010m6d10-Cypress-Gardens?cid

June Blooms

2010-06-10T13:30:00.003-04:00

I was watering pots on a Saturday in June and took a few pictures. The daylilies and Oakleaf Hydrangea looked pretty nice.

Summer the longest season

2010-05-31T18:18:00.000-04:00

The southern magnolias and waterlilies are now in bloom.

tracks on the trails

2010-05-05T21:45:00.008-04:00

It rained almost all day yesterday but we needed it. I like to get out on the trails early after a rain to see the animal tracks. I was surprised to see otter tracks near the boat dock, we usually don't see otter after the alligators become active in the spring. Just a little ways further down the path, just past the spillway, I spotted alligator tail drag lines across the path. One set of foot prints going over the dike and into the woods and another set going back to the water. The foot print were about the size of my hand which would make it about a 5 to 6 foot long alligator.

Beautiful Iris

2010-04-18T19:11:00.004-04:00

This is just one of many photos I took on a walk with Kathy on April 16th. I liked this photo so much I made it my desktop background!

Yes, It is Spring!

2010-04-14T18:13:00.000-04:00

The Wisteria and Azaleas are still blooming, and the pansys have never looked better. The Native Iris are starting to bloom. The Camellias and Daffodils have finished. Chimney Swifts and Prothonotary Warbler have returned. A pair of Osprey are building a nest which can be seen from the Wedding Garden.

Azaleas Blooms

2010-04-03T09:08:00.000-04:00

As of today I would say about 25% of our azaleas are in bloom. Easter Sunday should be nice. The wedding garden has the most blooms. More blooms to come next week.

2010-03-23T19:55:00.005-04:00

I have been gardening in the lowcountry of South Carolina over 25 years and this is the longest and coldest winter I have every seen here. Spring blooms are running 2-3 weeks late. For years I have been telling visitors that our peak Azalea bloom is around the last weekend of March but here it is a few days away and the azaleas are not even showing color. We have a few azaleas called Early Lavender which normally bloom around the first week of March and they have just started to bloom. The Camellias and Daffodils are still blooming. I now predict peak azalea bloom will be the second week of April. The Redbuds have started to bloom but the Lady Banks Roses and Wisteria are still in bud. The Parula warbler did return last week right on time and the Prothonotary Warblers are due back any day now. The Yellow Rumped Warblers(Butter Butts) and the White Throated Sparrows are still thick in the gardens but they may leave soon. The Bluebirds have busy visiting nest boxes and will soon getting down to business.

misty morning

2010-03-18T20:45:00.001-04:00

A light mist covered the lake, the air was still and the reflection of the sky was tinted pink and grey such a beautiful start for the day . Our birds were singing, the Carolina Chickadee -"tea sweet" the tufted titmouse "peter, peter" the red wing blackbird "potpourri ". The shy wood ducks were siting in the trees and their calls were like squeaky toys.

Flower Show Results

2010-03-17T21:08:00.001-04:00

A Carolina Breath of Spring Flower Show, sponsored by four local garden clubs, was held March 6 and 7 at Cypress Gardens in Moncks Corner, SC. This was the 4th annual show for Belle Isle Garden Club, Camellia Garden Club of Greater Charleston, Garden Club of Otranto and Town & Village Garden Club. There were 48 floral designs, including under water designs, designs incorporating garden implements, designs hanging in embroidery hoops and new to garden club members, floor designs. Michael Pound of the Camellia Garden Club won a Tri-Color Award, the Award of Design Excellence and the People’s Favorite Award for his design incorporating two watering cans. His creative use of bear grass from the nozzle of each can, looked like water being poured out on to the bouquet below.

Johnny Walker of Edisto won top camellia. Elizabeth Nash of Goose Creek won the Arboreal Award with her Hibiscus Bloom. Over 400 people attended the 2 Day event which featured daffodils, Camellias and other spring blooms.

Spring in Bloom

2010-03-15T22:48:00.003-04:00

The camellias and daffodils were beautiful today in the gardens. Winter is finally over. They should remain in full bloom until to the end of March. Peak bloom for the azaleas should be the last week of March through the first week of April. Also in bloom are the Snowdrops (leucojum), Anemones and hyacinth. The Japaneses Magnolias were in full bloom this week ( about 2 weeks later than normal).

Spring Flower Show

2010-02-24T19:25:00.001-05:00

Breath of Spring Flower Show March 6-7
"A Carolina Breath of Spring Flower Show” at Cypress Gardens.
The fourth annual Breath of Spring Flower Show is presented by Belle Isle Garden Club, Camellia Garden Club of Greater Charleston, Garden Club of Otranto and Town and Village Garden Club.
The horticulture division features camellias and daffodils along with other spring blooming plants. The division is being expanded this year to include container plants.
There is a new section for plant containers not normally used as flower pots and another for containers made of recycled materials. Come see the creative ideas gardeners have come up with.
The design division will include miniature arrangement, floor designs, table settings, and hanging designs.
The horticulture division is open to the general public for entries of blooming plants. Please bring your horticulture entries on Friday March 5 from 9-12 . Judging will begin at 1 pm. To learn more, visit www.gardencentral.org/gcsc/cgcgcflowershows/events and click on the Cypress Gardens Flower Show to download the flower show schedule, or call Laurette Sweet (843) 312-9169 for more information. At the bottom of this page there is a slide show of last year’s flower show.

Art Show Photos

2010-02-23T20:29:00.000-05:00

I just added a slide show of the Art Show, you can find it near the bottom of this page.

The Winter Garden

2009-12-19T11:16:00.001-05:00

This December has been usually wet. So far we have had almost 7 inches of rain in the first two weeks of the month. The temperature seems normal, lows in the 40s and highs in the 60s. We had a light frost on December 17, and a few of the summer annuals were killed. Fortunately, a few of the impatients under the live oak trees survived. We started pulling up the summer plants the first week of December and replacing them with pansies, kale, Swiss chard and mustard. We also have been setting out foxglove, Canterbury bells and hollyhocks, tulips, and anemones for spring bloom. In 2010 our garden theme is ‘shades of purple’. Last year we did hibiscus and Hawaiian plants and we have gathered these plants up and put them in the green house for the winter. We have 15 pineapple plants started for next year. Yes, they do have purple flowers! For the past 10 years , I have placed a pineapple plant at our entrance gate and 2 in front of the gift shop. I always grow back up plants because our pineapples are often stolen. ( I will admit there is nothing more tasty than a home grown pineapple. )If you would like to learn how to grow one, check out my October blog post.

December Blooms – Paperwhite narcissus , Camellias, pansies, encore azaleas and tea olives.

Just found these old photos of Cypress Gardens on the web please take a look
http://fansinaflashbulb.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/girls-in-swamps/#comment-174

Grow A Pineapple

2009-10-17T17:59:00.017-04:00

How to Grow Your Own Pineapple

It takes about a year to grow a pineapple. You need a greenhouse or
a sunny room to get the plant through the winter.

Start in early summer and buy a nice fresh pineapple with a nice green top. Cut the top off about 1 inch from the top of the fruit. Pull the remaining fruit off the top. Let the top dry for a day or more. Pull off about 1 inch of the lower leaves; you may notice a few small roots
where you tear off the leaves.

Place the plant in a 6 inch pot with a good peat-lite potting mix. (Cactus mix would be good.) The soil should be damp, but not too wet. One of the biggest mistakes people make when growing pineapple and other bromeliads is over-watering. It will take 4-6 weeks for the plant to get a good root system.

Move the plant up to a gallon size pot after about 2-3 months. Use a general purpose water soluble fertilizer on the foliage and on the soil about every 2 weeks. By fall, the plant should be ready to move to 2 gallon pot - if the roots are filling the pot. It is important not to jump too soon to a bigger pot because more soil in the pot means a longer time until the soil dries out and wet soil can lead to root rot.

Many people can grow a pineapple plant but cannot get the plant to flower and fruit. Here is the trick - use an apple to induce early flowering. Take an over-ripe apple and slice it up into 6 wedges. Place the wedges between the pineapple foliage. (Banana peels will work too.)
Cover with a bed sheet for about 5 days. Why does this work? As apples and other fruits deteriorate, they give off ethylene gas. Ethylene gas is a plant hormone. It will make plants without flowers produce flowers. But be careful. Ethylene gas will also cause plants with flowers to abort them. After the 5 days just remove the sheet and leave the apple to rot. (Yes, you may get a few fruit flies.)
Keep the plant warm all winter and stop fertilizing. Move the plant to a 3 gallon pot in early spring and start fertilizing again. Move to a sunny location. Keep an eye on the center of the plant. Soon, deep down in the center of the plant, you will notice it turning yellow or white. The pineapple flower will emerge soon. The pineapple will have purple flowers that will last about 2 weeks. As the pineapple fruit gets bigger, use 3 bamboo stakes placed around the plant to keep it from falling over.

I usually start about 10 pineapples each summer at Cypress Gardens and I get about 6-8 pineapple plants to produce fruit. Some plants have produced 2 fruit. Home grown pineapple taste great. I like to let the fruit turn yellow on the plant. The fruit is sweet and the core will be soft and edible. Good Luck, Kathy

The Four Seasons

2009-09-25T19:02:00.011-04:00

Here in Charleston, we have 4 seasons just like everyone else, they are Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer and Christmas. Still Summer begins after Labor Day Weekend. Except for hurricanes, we get very little rain. Our usual afternoon thunderstorms become hit or miss in September. October is one of our driest months. Working in the garden these last few days has been exhausting, the temps in the upper 80 F and the humidity above 90% and dew point above 70%. We had a few sprinkles this week, but when the sun came back out it made the humidity go up even more. Today the temperature reached 89 F. with humidity at 97% and the dew point 76% and the sky clear, so working in the shade did not help much. The Garden staff has been busy this week finishing up the new Heirloom Garden and the irrigation system is up and running. When I arrive at 7:30 in the morning I like to go to the lake and take a few photos, while the air is still and the refection is fabulous. The Bald Cypress trees are starting to yellow and brown before the leaves drop.

Free Saturdays

2009-08-30T18:27:00.002-04:00

Every Third Saturday of the month, Berkeley County Residents and county employees can enter Cypress Gardens before noon for free. The Supporters of Historical Cypress Gardens sells food at this time to raise money. Hot dogs and Hamburgers are usually on the menu, please bring cash or checks.

October 17, 2009. Bake and Plant Sale by Camellia Garden Club, Daffodil bulbs and other plants. Homemade cakes, brownies and cookies. Hot dogs chips and drinks. Boat tours $5.

November 14, Google Day , free admission to everyone, all day. Live entertainment by the Shaking Martini Band, Food sales by Robert’s Barbecue. Gates open at 9 am

November 21, Winter Garden Festival,
Workshops : Worm Composting, Bird feeder and bird house construction.
Lectures: Winter Vegetable Gardening, Flower Gardens for Winter, Rooting Antique Roses. Clemson Master Gardeners info. Sand Cast leaf demonstration.
Food sales by The Supporters of Historical Cypress Gardens. Gates open at 9 am

Welcome to the Cypress Gardener Info Blog

2009-07-12T08:46:00.001-04:00

Volunteer Opportunities
At Historic
Cypress Gardens
Have fun, learn, make new friends and meet people from around the world, these are just a few of the benefits from joining the volunteer program at Cypress Gardens. Your help is needed in order to preserve and maintain this truly unique and original lowcountry garden. Opportunities to help are available in the following areas, horticulture, gift shop, greeter, ticket booth, butterfly house docent, tour groups guide, special events and boat dock. We also participate in the Reciprocal Pass Program which will get you in free to many other tourist attractions and gardens. Contact Supporters of Historic Cypress Gardens at swampsupporters@gmail.com
Or call Roxy at 843 553 0515 or visit our website at www.cypressgardens.info