25 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com our town It’s no secret that our community has established a reputation for having magnificent homes and gardens. Our reputation has resulted in us having the highest priced non-resort residential real estate in South Carolina. We are working hard to protect the quality of our neighborhoods, homes and gardens, and we are encouraging a few things that are new, different – and rewarding. If you have attended a native plant sale event recently, you have experienced the growing crowds and excitement around this budding movement. The newfound interest in planting native species and pollinator friendly gardens is part of a national movement that is changing suburban landscaping practices. “Our gardens come alive when we invite birds, butterflies, bugs and pollinators to visit,” said Lowcountry native Madeleine McGee, board chair of Charleston Horticultural Society, which offers gardening resources for all ages. “It’s as simple as offering the right environment and plants they need to feed, reproduce and survive.” It is well known that bee populations are alarmingly low, and there are some 2-3 billion fewer birds in North America than there were 50 years ago. Residents of Mount Pleasant can take small but meaningful steps right in their own yards and gardens to give nature the helping hand it needs. Belle Hall resident Michelle Stress heads up the Mount Pleasant-based group Green Neighborhoods Work, offering residents and HOAs practical next steps toward landscapes that are more native, easier to keep and require less watering to thrive. They are also more helpful to wildlife. “Just as we feel at home in familiar places, butterflies, birds, pollinators and other wildlife find comfort in what they’ve known for centuries – the timing of the blooms, the shape of the petals, the sweetness of the nectar. These are their signs of home,” said Stress. As we planted the first pollinator garden at town hall last year, I announced a goal to reach 1,000 pollinator gardens town wide. Given that we have 42,000 residences, this should be achievable and will have a measurable positive effect along with new pollinator gardens on town properties, at schools, businesses and on Mount Pleasant Waterworks properties, where they are already being established. Green Neighborhoods Work is registering every pollinator garden to track progress toward our goal, and you can register yours at “Mount Pleasant’s 1,000 Pollinator Gardens” on signupgenius.com. (This is privately managed and the records are not kept by the municipal government). Suzette and I are not expert gardeners, but we have managed to establish our small pollinator garden with little work and money. It’s not an all-or-nothing scenario. You don’t have to get rid of all your non-native plants. We are taking small steps and learning valuable lessons as we go. Local native plant vendors are ready to help you, and there are native plant sales held by the South Carolina Native Plant Society and the Charleston Horticultural Society’s “Plantasia” on April 11 at Mount Pleasant Farmers Market that are great places to find the right plants for your yard. Stress added, “Grab your gardening gloves and join the Mount Pleasant 1,000 Pollinator Garden Challenge to create a welcoming tapestry of beauty, biodiversity and much-needed support for our tiniest farmers – our pollinators!” BY WILL HAYNIE MAYOR OF MOUNT PLEASANT Mayor’s Message Pollinating Our Paradise
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