As part of the requirement to become master gardeners, Sally Barrett and Joyce Timmerman had to perform gardening-related community service.
"We were done with that the first week," Ms. Timmerman said of the community service. The women spent most of the summer working on the heirloom garden at Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site and are in the planning phase for a winter heirloom garden at the site.
"Last year, our garden fell into disarray after July 19," said Elizabeth Laney, park interpreter at Redcliffe Plantation. "This year, we are planting a winter garden, and we had three or four additional garden programs."
Since the heirloom garden program at Redcliffe began in 2001, there has been only one winter garden. The extra programs and the second winter garden are largely the result of Ms. Barrett and Ms. Timmerman's dedication, Ms. Laney said.
Ms. Barrett and Ms. Timmerman have lived in the Aiken area only a few years. Learning about the plants that grow in the South and forging their friendship have been the catalysts for all of their volunteer efforts, Ms. Timmerman said.
In addition to planting, weeding and keeping insects out of the garden, Ms. Timmerman developed a brochure on the herb garden for visitors.
Like the summer heirloom garden, the winter garden will include plants Gov. James Henry Hammond would have cultivated when he established Redcliffe Plantation in the 1850s.
"Visitors in September, October and November can see the winter garden," Ms. Laney said.
One of the herbs they will plant is called squill, a bulb that was used for medicinal purposes during Hammond's era, according to Ms. Laney.
She said a program will be developed on how the Hammond family and the slaves used herbs as medicine.
"We have an apothecary box from the 1820s, and we have an original bottle of syrup of squill," she said.
Squill was used as a cough expectorant. It has also been used as a rat poison.
"We're also planting spearmint, echinacea, sweet fennel, rosemary, thyme and sage," Ms. Timmerman said.
Reach Charmain Z. Brackett at charmain.brackett@augustachronicle.com.
VOLUNTEERS OF THE MONTH: JOYCE TIMMERMAN AND SALLY BARRETT
ORGANIZATION: Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site
TASKS PERFORMED: The two women have been integral in the design and upkeep of the site's heirloom gardens.
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