What’s Blooming in Hampton Park?
The middle of March is great time to take a stroll around Hampton Park!
In the shade, or in the sun, the color is amazing.
As one of the oldest parks in the area you can see many iconic Charleston trees like Live Oak, Palmettos and Crepe Myrtles.
The late blooming Camellias still have some of their bloom.
One I love produces a purple form that looks like grapes, but it’s not! It’s called Mahonia. The leaf tips on this are a bit uncomfortable to brush against, like Holly. That’s one reason you might see either planted underneath a window, as a natural barrier!
I also noticed some a spot of purple; a bloom of spiderwort in the plantings and wondered if they were volunteers or part of the planned design. Spiderwort has a fascinating history as one of our native plants and had many culinary and medical uses. This article from Richland County has an excellent description if you are interested to learn more about this hardy plant
