As spring enters full bloom in the Lowcountry, the Charleston Horticultural Society is bringing back its marquee festival.
The annual celebration, dubbed Plantasia, will take place April 6-10 offering walking tours, educational seminars and a full-day free-admission festival called the Green Market on April 9.
“We get people from all over Charleston,” said Jennifer Garr, board president the Horticultural Society.
The celebration kicks off April 6 with a lecture at the Charleston Museum given by Rick Drake, celebrated horticulturalist and expert in urban greenspace.
All events throughout the weekend are open for seasoned horticulturalists and novice gardeners alike.
The Green Market, held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, includes vendors, food trucks and workshops. It is expected to draw 1,000 to 1,200 people to Old Towne Creek County Park in West Ashley, Garr said.
Attendees will find local vendors from nurseries, urban farms and garden supply stores. Repurposed pots and planters will be on sale and a knife sharpener will be on hand to sharpen garden tools. Attendees can even order plants or seedlings on the Horticultural Society’s website ahead of the Green Market and pick them up at the festival on Saturday. Experts will be available to give gardening and plant care advice.
“We also have some bunny topiaries just in time for Easter,” Garr said, adding that she expects them to sell out quickly.
Vendors include Haegur Maker’s Post, Meeting Green and the Green Heart Project.
Walking tours offered on Sunday will give attendees a chance to traverse Charleston’s most historic home gardens in Harleston Village, which passersby normally only catch a glimpse of through a gate or around a wall. The tour will also take viewers somewhere unexpected: The Medical University of South Carolina.
The Plantasia Eve Party in 2017 featured a window box decorating contest. Attendees at the 2022 event can expect similar activities at the Green Market on Saturday, April 9. File/Staff
A pioneering doctor at MUSC and former dean of the College of Medicine, Dr. Jerry Reeves, led an endeavor to incorporate more greenspace for patients and staff at the medical campus. It culminated in the university’s signature arboretum and Pearlstein Healing Garden.
“In the midst of the city … you begin to have an oasis of natural beauty,” Reeves said.
More than 10 years later he is still at the helm of the program. MUSC docents will be on hand during the tour to offer a insight on the benefits of greenspace on public health.
“Hopefully, (attendees) will find the same kind of solace and refreshment that our patients and staff do,” Reeves said.
The arboretum has become particularly important part of the fabric of the campus during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
People attending a Charleston Horticultural Society workshop on foodscaping in 2018 flock to a table of free heirloom tomato seeds. At this year’s event, attendees can order plants, seedings and cuttings online to pick up at the Green Market on April 9 or purchase them on site. File/Staff
Organizers expect a high turnout for Plantasia, especially because the pandemic has spurred more people to take up gardening or tending to houseplants.
“We do make special efforts to appeal to younger folks that might be getting their first plant,” Garr said.
The horticultural society has even scoured TikTok to see what plant topics social media users are discussing the most.
“We know the chatter about houseplants is big now,” said Emily Topham, program coordinator for the Horticultural Society.
Shoppers survey offerings at the 2019 Plantasia event. This year it returns again at full capacity. The Charleston Horticultural Society replaced it with smaller scale events in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jess Black/Provided
For horticulturalists, sharing knowledge is one of the best parts of the event, Garr added.
“It’s just a part of your soul,” she said.
Last year the event took on a smaller form to accommodate COVID-19 health protocols. This year, it returns as a higher-capacity event. A pre-event luncheon hosted by the Horticultural Society already drew a considerable crowd, Garr said.
“We are expecting a lot of people to get out in the sunshine and get their plants,” Garr said. “People are going to be giddy to get out and about.”
While the Green Market is free and open to the public, the lecture and walking tours are for ticket-holders only. Prices range from $60 to $125. Charleston Horticultural Society members get discounted tickets. Find more information at www.chashortsoc.org/celebration-of-green or by calling 843-579-9922.
Reach Emma Whalen at 843-708-5837. Follow her on Twitter @_emma_whalen.
