SCCF’s Native Landscape & Garden Center is pleased to reopen its Honey House this week, marking nearly a year and a half since Hurricane Ian flooded it with more than five feet of storm surge and blew off its new metal roof.

Named to commemorate the beekeeping that the pioneering Bailey family did on the property, the Honey House opened when SCCF relocated its Garden Center to the Bailey Homestead Preserve in 2015.

At the back of the historic Bailey Homestead, the small green cottage serves as a gift shop and features a retail check-out area as well as a hub for educational materials about native planting.

“We will be selling garden tools, neem oil, books on native plants, and T-shirts,” said Sue Ramos, SCCF Client Relations. “Sea Turtle T-shirts, Garden Center T-shirts, and Coastal Watch long-sleeved sun shirts will be available. We don’t have any hats or children’s shirts yet, but we hope to have some soon.” 

The Garden Center is experiencing more demand than ever as islanders seek to restore their landscapes Post-Ian.

House calls, which are a benefit of becoming an SCCF member, are booked through the middle of May.

“The house call allows the homeowner to understand what plants might work for their property,” said Ramos. “We also share the watering or establishment period needed. That way they can plan the installation when they will be around to water the plants.”

With all the demand, stock is turning over fairly quickly.

“We also offer a ‘Request List’ where we’ll take your contact info and the plants you’re looking for and will work towards fulfilling your needs,” said Ramos. “We can’t promise a time frame for that request, but we will try our best to get them as soon as we can.”

Here’s a helpful list of what’s currently available at the Garden Center at 1300 Periwinkle Way. It’s open Tuesday – Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can also call during regular business hours to set up appointment shopping on Saturdays, 239-472-1932.

Current Stock List

Shrubs & Hedges:

• Red Tip, Green, and Horizontal Cocoplum
• Simpson, Spanish, White, and Long-Stalked Stopper
• Myrsine
• Viburnum
• Green and Silver Buttonwood
• Jamaica Caper
• Locustberry
• Wild Olive
• White Indigo Berry
• Wild Lime
• Cinnamon Bark
• Wild Coffee 
• Coontie 

Palms:

• Green and Silver Thatch Palm
• Royal Palm
• Silver Palm
• Buccaneer Palm
• Paurotis Palm (occasionally) 

Palmettos:

• Silver and Green Saw Palmetto
• Dwarf Palmetto

Trees:

• Wild Tamarind
• Pigeon Plum
• Seagrape
• Soldier Wood
• Live Oak
• Sweet Acacia
• Sea Plum
• Pitch Apple
• Lignum Vitae

Grasses:

• Muhly
• Fakahatchee
• Dwarf Fakahatchee
• Elliot’s and Purple Lovegrass
• Sand and Salt Cordgrass 

Wildflowers/Flowering Shrubs:

• Dune Sunflower
• Black-Eyed Susan
• Red Salvia
• Firebush
• Beautyberry
• Bahama and Privet Cassia

Ground Covers:

• Mimosa
• Matchweed

To learn more about planting native with storm resiliency in mind, check out our Post-Hurricane Ian Replanting Guide. Please send any questions to info@sccf.org.