Cash in on gardening at Hampton Park

Bingo.

When I was a kid, I inserted a dollar bill into a change machine. Instead of spitting out four quarters, it dropped over five dollars in change. I scooped the money into my pocket and was out the door.

The next day at school, I'm telling a crowd about how I became wealthy. With the kind of change I was packing, I'd be playing Pacman for a week.

My teacher was listening. He didn't turn me in or make me say sorry, he just asked a question. "Did you consider returning the money?"

Is he crazy? I just got paid and he wants me to give it back? Not happening, Captain. Never, ever. But you know something? Here it is 30 years later and I never forgot he said that.

Some experiences stay with you all your life. Many plant enthusiasts find peace in the garden, something that makes the rigors of life tolerable. It's a place to escape, or remind us to slow down and look around. Smell the flowers. Something that's hard to forget.

If you're interested in gardening, plants and the landscape, a free opportunity awaits at Hampton Park in Charleston. At 67 acres, Hampton Park is the largest public park on peninsular Charleston, near The Citadel. This area dates back to the late 1700s when it was an orange plantation and a major exporter in Colonial South Carolina.

After many transformations and 300 years later, Charlestonians and tourists seek Hampton Park for a walk, run or picnic. Family reunions, weddings or other events are not uncommon (contact the city of Charleston for permit requirements).

However, this heavenly respite requires many hours of effort to keep the flowers blooming, the turf clean and the shrubs trimmed. The city has developed the Stewards of Hampton volunteer program to assist in these efforts. This program is absolutely critical to the park's maintenance needs. Professional staff horticulturists lead approximately 100 volunteers annually.

Volunteers help out with plant production. Approximately 38,000 annual flowers are grown from seed in the park's greenhouse facility for use in the park and throughout Charleston. Many of these seeds are harvested from the previous year's plants.

About 11,000 to 15,000 tropical plants are propagated from cuttings that are used as annual plantings, as well. Volunteers help out in all facets of production, from seeding to potting to watering. In some cases, volunteers make contacts for free plants and cuttings for their own yard.

Plant production and greenhouses don't interest you? Hampton Park features 16 high-profile planting beds containing annuals, perennials, roses and shrubs. Groups of volunteers adopt a bed for four months. These groups are volunteer stewards or are corporately sponsored.

Learn the basics of bed preparation, planting and maintenance. Volunteers are also involved with pruning topiary shrubs (sheared into shapes) used in Charleston as focal points as well as organic and edible landscaping.

Volunteers are privy to a quarterly newsletter that features upcoming workshops at Hampton Park, such as creative container gardening, hypertufa or leaf casting.

Nonvolunteers also can attend workshops, but costs vary. Educational trips are organized by the staff for volunteers to attend, mostly to regional locations.

For more information about volunteer opportunities and activities, contact the Hampton Park volunteer line at 958-6434. Leave a message if no one answers; someone will get back to you about the next orientation tour through the greenhouses and park.

There's something rich and rewarding about gardening. These are moments we don't forget easily.

So here's to Mr. Mac, my sixth-grade teacher, who was crazy enough to suggest I return the money from the change machine. It took several years for me to understand, but it mattered. I know it did because I never forgot.