In 2016, the Charleston Parks Conservancy (CPC) partnered with the city to complete a $5.9-million renovation of this historical public space that showcases a tidal pond. The former lawn-and-trees park emerged as a massive garden echoing the naturalistic, slightly wild style of New York City’s High Line. These days, it’s not spring without a stroll among the ‘Peggy Martin’ roses that spiral up the sentinel palmetto palms, and this season’s park-goers may notice that some more changes are underway.
The Latest:
“The garden is going from infancy to adolescence,” says Kellen Goodell, CPC associate director of horticulture operations. And as teenagers sometimes do, it’s pushing boundaries, getting a little too wild.
Several plants have become nuisances—especially ruellia, or Mexican petunia. Many local gardeners love the perennial for its nonstop purple blooms, but it’s invasive, spreading by rhizomes underground. “We had to completely clear three beds on the corner of Broad and Rutledge to make sure we removed it from that area,” says Kate White, CPC director of horticulture. The CPC is also editing ruellia and pushy perennials like elderberry and cannas from other overgrown areas.
After raising the necessary funds, the group will use the new open space to create more wildlife habitat. “We’re working with the South Carolina Native Plant Society to reinvent the palette with natives that are great for pollinators and birds—and that help with stormwater mitigation.” Watch for news of community engagement sessions about the project, and know that the conservancy is always looking for volunteers.
The Backstory:
On April 12, 1768, when the Carolina colony was still part of the British Empire, the local government decreed that a large swath of land be set aside “for the common use of its citizens.” A century later, this led a special commission to upgrade a mill pond into more formal “pleasure grounds” it named Colonial Lake.
Another 100 years passed, and the park was certainly pleasurable enough, but the CPC knew it could be so much more. The nonprofit conjured a modern, naturalistic landscape for this urban space, but they made sure to nod to the traditional Charleston garden, creating more formal beds of camellias, azaleas, and podocarpus along Broad Street.
Six months after the grand opening, Hurricane Matthew submerged the 20,000 new plants in three feet of salt water—treatment the Asian shrubs couldn’t tolerate. After Irma brought more major flooding in 2017, the horticulturists had to rip out the beloved evergreens and swap in more resilient, salt-tolerant plants.
Bloom Spotlight:
‘Peggy Martin’ roses are an apropos attraction for Colonial Lake. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina flooded the garden of Louisiana resident Peggy Martin. Two plants survived—one an unnamed rose handed down to her via a cutting. Horticulturists worked to propagate and sell ‘Peggy Martin’ to aid in hurricane relief efforts, and it caught on fast for its unfussy ways and stunning repeat blooms.
Plan a Visit:
A plan is hardly needed! Parking is usually available around the lake, even with the popular Moultrie Playground just across Ashley Avenue. Wide inner and outer pathways leave plenty of room for dogs, strollers, and fishing poles alike.
In addition to the ‘Peggy Martin’ roses, the Noisettes will be showing off in April alongside red buckeye, society garlic, and more. If you’re looking for tough plants that thrive in the Lowcountry, come peruse, says Goodell. “The plants here face so much abuse—from car exhaust to flooding to foot traffic. It’s become a proving ground for resilient varieties.”
The Details:
Colonial Lake
Broad Street at Rutledge and Ashley Avenues
Open daily, sunrise to sunset; free
charlestonparksconservancy.org/park-finder/colonial-lake
See a list of plants growing at Colonial Lake
