VEGETABLE GARDEN
In 2008, back when a veg garden at the White House was just a foodie pipedream, South Carolina's First lady Jenny Sanford planted one on the grounds of the governor's mansion in Columbia, as part of overall enhancements to the building and grounds. And just like the new White House veg garden, Sanford's garden is organic and designed to promote the use of local and organic foods (when possible).
THE REST OF THE LANDSCAPE
The other "enhancements" to the gardens are described "improving and greening our grounds for the public to enjoy while simultaneously reducing our drain on the environment." For more details, the First Lady's office was contacted and the response was a long, point by point response to the Sustainable Landscaping items listed on this website - fabulous! It's reproduced below but changes made by First Lady Sanford include:
- The addition of more ferns, groundcovers and perennials.
- The addition of benches for the public.
- Ending the practice of overseeding the lawn with annual rye seed to keep it green all winter. This move saves considerable money in the purchase of seeds, extra fertilizer and extra water.
- Replacement of annuals with drought-tolerant perennials.
FUNDING
The garden enhancements were funded by rental fees for the use of the gardens (for weddings and such) totalling $250,000 per year, and some private funds.
SOURCES
http://www.energy.sc.gov/news.aspx?id=98 and
http://www.statepulse.com/SouthCarolina/2008/09.17.08.firstLady.pr.htm
RESULTS
Vegetable garden? Check. It's even organic. And sustainable landscaping? As you'll see in the detailed response from horticulturist Mike Lee, lots of attention is being paid to conservation, wise choice of plants, reduction of lawn, and more. They're to be commended! But of course we encourage them to:
Below is the detailed response of horticultural expert Mike Lee to our inquiry about their landscaping practices. We thank him for his serious attention, and for his work.
The Governor’s Mansion complex encompasses 9 acres and includes three historic buildings that are listed in the National Register. The property also has the original carriage house located behind the Historic Caldwell-Boylston House and re-built period Tea house. The Boylston gardens are an antebellum garden with many of the original trees and period plants still intact.
The complex has many very large old historic trees including Ginkgo, Deodar Cedar, Red Cedar, Incense Cedar, Live Oak, Willow Oak, Water Oak, Darlington Oak, Saw tooth Oak, Chinese Pistachio, Sycamore, Sugar Maple and many Southern Magnolia including The State Champion that is registered with the S.C. Forestry Commissions Big Tree Program. There are also many under story trees on the property including Dogwood, Tulip Magnolia, Japanese Maple, Chinese Fringe Tree, a Alee of native Cherry Laurel and many beautiful Crape Myrtle also including the State Champion of this species Registered in the S.C. Big Tree Program. The historic Boylston Gardens have a maze of vintage English Boxwoods thriving under this great canopy as well as the Chinese, American and Japanese varieties. There are hundreds of vintage Camellias of approximately forty varieties. The property abounds with many naturalized bulbs, trailing vines, ground covers, decades old azaleas, other specimen evergreen and deciduous plant material.
Non-toxic Lawn Care: The S.C. Governor’s Mansion Horticultural staff has practiced I.P.M. (Integrated Pest Management) for many years The staff horticulturist is a Certified Pesticide Applicator licensed by the S.C. Plant Pest Regulatory Agency a Division of Clemson University Extension Services. Pesticide use is kept to a minimum and always the last alternative when cultural, environmental options have been exhausted and then only when pest pressure is at a level detrimental to an important or historically significant plant species in the landscape.
Less Lawns: The S.C. Governors Mansion is located within a 9-acre complex of historic homes and trees of which less than one acre is planted in turfgrass. The bulk of the turfgrass is located adjacent to the mansion proper and is designated the Great Lawn. This Bermuda grass lawn provides a perfect sports field for the Sanfords' four very active boys and their two equally active black lab pets. The other lawns on the property are small turf areas surrounded by established landscapes or graveled paths.
The Great Lawn was traditionally overseeded with winter rye to keep it green through the winter, a common practice on southern turf. The Sanfords opted to halt this practice six years ago in their first term. This saves a considerable amount of money in seed cost, additional water and fertilizer applications are no longer needed. Soil test are taken annually to determine proper P.H. and the minimal nutrient requirements for all turf areas. Only a few annual flower beds remain on the mansion complex and these are in high visibility areas at the front entrance of the governor’s mansion. Other areas that where traditionally planted with annuals have been planted with perennials or ground covers such as ivy or variegated vinca.
Water Conservation: All irrigation systems on the mansion Complex are fully auto-mated and have matched precipitation rate nozzles. Each system is designed and adjusted with no tolerance for over-spray on hard-scaped surfaces. Drip Irrigation has been installed extensively around the perimeter areas of the mansion proper and some areas of the Lace House. Clocks are monitored by the staff and do not run when sufficient rainfall is present. Systems run in the early morning hours before sunrise to minimize evaporation rates.
Managing Storm Water: The mansion complex is surrounded by high brick and stucco walls and many of the interior gardens are also additionally walled. This minimizes irrigation or storm water runoff. The new landscape additions where installed with a gravel and sand base under the pavers rather than concrete this allows water to infiltrate the pavers and percolate into the soil minimizing run off on these hard-scapes. The pathways in The Historic Boylston Garden are maintained with the traditional granite sand surface that allows storm water to infiltrate the soil readily with no run off.
Pest Resistant Plants: As part of our on-going and longstanding I.P.M. practice, pest-resistant plant varieties are always our first choice when selecting plant material for new landscaped areas. Our recent additions included many autumn, Holly and Japanese painted ferns as well as Hosta, Fatsia and Confederate Jessamine all of which have no pest related issues. The historic old plant material is maintained with established I.P.M practices. The tremendous age and historic significance of these established plants makes monitoring and treating them for pest occasionally necessary.
Recycling Yard Waste: All leaf debris is allowed to remain and mulch naturally in the majority of beds on the mansion complex, thereby returning nutrients to the soil for further plant uptake and providing natural mulch. Leaf debris removed from hardscapes, sticks, twigs, seasonal trimmings, and other organic material are placed curbside, picked up on a weekly basis by the City of Columbia. We are then allowed to pick up any amount of organically mulched material we desire free of charge to return to the property, which we do twice yearly to amend beds and our vegetable garden. With this process in place we take NO organic debris from the S.C. Governor's Mansion to the landfill.
Sustaining Wildlife: The S.C. Governor’s Mansion is designated a Backyard Wildlife Habitat. In order to receive this designation, a property must provide food, water and habitat for wildlife. We do this in a variety of ways. The native Cherry Laurels are a favorite of the birds as well as the Magnolia and dogwoods which all produce seeds each year that they find in abundance. The property has many varieties of Oak as well as Hickory and Pecan for the many squirrels that are present. There are Seven fountains on the property that provide a plentiful water source and most of the fountains are kept clean and algae free with U.V. light and filtration systems that require no chemicals. The abundant large trees and extensive shrubbery and ground cover plantings provide homes for the birds, squirrels, lizards and occasional snake or two. We have a pair of Red Hawks that frequent the property and perch high up in the tree canopy as well as a red fox that can be seen often at night as he wanders through. Song birds are abundant through out the year and two pair of nesting doves each produced a pair of hatchlings again this spring near or maintenance shed. We have a resident possum or two on the property and it is not unusual to spot a raccoon early in the morning. All this plus the large numbers of dragonfly, praying mantis, garden spiders and cicadas that are present in the summer months speaks of the healthy environment at our complex.
Sustaining Humans: The mansion complex is open to the public on the Boylston/Lace house side of the property and many benches and swings are available for the public to enjoy. Our new landscape additions in the Wedding Garden provided 10 new benches in this wonderfully shaded area. Many people who work in the nearby buildings visit the gardens each day and bring their lunch or a good book and pass a pleasant time in our serene oasis during the middle of their otherwise hectic day.
Saving Money: The S.C. Governor’s Mansion has always been a green oasis in the middle of an urban environment and has grown even greener through the efforts of our First Lady Jenny Sanford. The new additions of ferns, groundcovers and perennial plantings have enhanced an already beautiful and historic property. The upgrades to the fountains and the addition of benches provide an even more welcoming space for the public as well as the wildlife that frequent the complex. The removal of the annual rye program and annual beds replaced with drought tolerant perennials save both time money and our precious water recourses.
