Keith Mearns
Houseplant Appreciation Day
Friday, January 10th 2020
Houseplants both oxygenate and beautify our homes, but many people become bored with the limited selection of species sold as houseplants. As it turns out, some of the plants we grow outside here at Historic Columbia make great houseplants as well. Cast Iron plants (Aspidistra species) are just as tough...
World Soil Day at Historic Columbia
Thursday, December 5th 2019
December 5, 2019 is World Soil Day! Soil health is at the center of both good gardening and healthy ecosystems. With pressures like rapid development and a changing climate, it is more important than ever to prioritize the creation and maintenance of good soil. Here at Historic Columbia, we support...
Learn All About Pruning at HC's Next Garden Workshop
Friday, January 11th 2019
Most gardeners, myself included, are usually most excited by what we can add to our gardens. It just as important, though, to think about what we can remove from our gardens to achieve design goals. After you have finished your fall planting and clean-up, mid-winter is a perfect time to...
Monkey Puzzle: The "Living Fossil" of Hampton-Preston
Monday, March 26th 2018
The gardens of the Hampton-Preston Mansion were one of the most celebrated in the antebellum south. With so much space to fill, we have relied on several sources to narrow our focus for plant material. While no explicit records of the content of the gardens exists from the Hamptons or...