Next weekend, Charleston’s Colonial Lake will come to life in a whole new way with the debut of Bloom Charleston, a first-of-its-kind garden and design festival hosted by the Charleston Parks Conservancy. The free, family-friendly festival on Saturday, Oct. 18, celebrates the unveiling of the new Idea Garden — a three-acre living installation designed to inspire sustainable, resilient landscape design for gardeners of all levels.
From 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., attendees can enjoy a full day of hands-on learning, live demonstrations, music, garden tours, shopping and expert-led sessions. Highlights include talks by internationally recognized voices such as Molly Hendry, Miranda Crowell, Lucy Hunter, Mr. Plant Geek and Stephen Eich. Topics range from floral design and biodiversity to garden artistry and Lowcountry gardening tips and tricks. The Charleston Symphony Brass Ensemble will also perform a musical interlude.
In addition to the scheduled talks, the following activities will be available throughout the day: the Plants From Your Parks Plant Sale supporting the Charleston Parks Conservancy, the SEWE Discovery Garden Kids Zone, theatrical children’s readings by Charleston Stage, a Live Topiary Shaping Demonstration with Mike Gibson, Home & Garden by Elizabeth Stuart, the Buxton Books Garden Bookstore, the Garden Club of Charleston Pop-Up Store, Ask an Expert Gardener with the Charleston Horticultural Society and docent-led activations throughout the new Colonial Lake Idea Garden.