Colonial Lake – August Update
Two Months Until Colonial Lake’s Big Debut
We are in the homestretch of our Colonial Lake renovations and we hope you are visiting the park often and seeing the new plants going in daily. During the first seven months of the year, we added nearly 8,000 plants and as the late summer planting season kicks into high gear, we will be adding another 2,000 in advance of our Bloom Charleston celebration. The new Colonial Lake plant palate was selected for resiliency and lower growth habit as well as seasonal interest. Based on community feedback, we have added 2,500 square feet of turf area that the community (and their pets) can use for activities or just to relax and enjoy the lake. Turf access paths were also added to increase accessibility around the park’s edges.
What you can look forward to:
- Groundcover/drift roses and Noisette roses
- Dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangeas
- Many more native and pollinator plants, including beautyberry, yarrow, salvias, milkweeds, and groundcovers
Weed Control & Mulch
One of our biggest challenges has been maintaining a high level park experience for the daily park users during a major renovation while staying true to our commitment not to use glyphosate (RoundUp) and to use much safer treatments. The Conservancy executed a multi-tiered approach to weed management this summer, including:
- Re-introducing Weeding Wednesday, a community favorite “after hours” volunteer opportunity to tackle large swaths of weeds each week.
- You will see Conservancy staff spraying herbicides that are safe for waterways, pets and humans, to help mitigate specific weed pressures, but only as a last line of defense to control specific areas.
- Mulch – earlier this month, after the early summer weed infestation was better controlled, we spread 240 yards of mulch to suppress new weeds and allow the new plants to thrive.
Mulch is challenging at Colonial Lake due to frequent flooding and resulting displacement. The Conservancy team is on-site immediately following each flooding event to keep drains and pathways clean and replace mulch in the beds. While mulch is a necessary short term solution to allow our new plants to thrive, is it not a sustainable long term solution. Over the next three years, maintaining mulched areas will decrease significantly as our plants grow and fill the garden spaces using “living mulch”—a layered mix of groundcovers, perennials, and shrubs designed to naturally crowd out weeds, manage stormwater, and support biodiversity.
Be sure to watch the video above to see Kellen Goodell, Interim Director of Park Operations, talk about the project and the Conservancy’s integrated gardens and weed management plan.
Once the work is done, we look forward to celebrating with you on October 17 as we toast the new gardens at Bloom Charleston Opening Night. Proceeds from the night will support the Charleston Parks Conservancy’s work in Colonial Lake and throughout our public parks.
Media Update
Colonial Lake Revitalization Keeps Blooming, Charleston City Paper