The Heritage Garden at Coastal Discovery Museum

Saturday, August 01, 2026 | The Greenery, Inc.

A living tribute to the Lowcountry’s native landscape – designed to educate, inspire, and endure

We believe that growing great people is just as important as growing great landscapes. This year, we had a front-row seat to what that looks like in action – when one of our own stepped out of the office and into the heart of our community. It is fitting that the resulting service project coincides with the 250th Birthday of the United States of America, making the focus on Lowcountry heritage all the more important.

For the past three-and-a-half years, Chris Solano has worked at The Greenery, Inc., where he currently serves as controller. After being nominated by Director of Business Development Melissa Brock, Chris was selected to join the flagship Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class of 2026. What followed was a ten-month journey that transformed not just a patch of overgrown land, but Chris himself.

40 Years
of the Chamber Leadership program

$45K+
Raised in donations & in-kind support

130K
Annual visitors to Honey Horn

A Program Built for Change-Makers

For four decades, the Chamber’s Leadership program has been the catalyst for community transformation in southern Beaufort County. From August through May, participants immerse themselves in the region’s vibrant culture, economic landscape, government structures, educational systems, and evolving social fabric. But the program’s most tangible output is its yearly community project. Over the past nine years alone, leadership classes have raised and invested over $200,000 into initiatives that leave a lasting mark on the Lowcountry community.

The Class of 2026 took on one of their most ambitious projects yet.

The B.E.E. Project: A Garden Takes Root

Partnering with the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn, the Class of 2026 took on an area of the grounds that had become overgrown and in need of attention. Their mission: transform it into a vibrant, sustainable community space that honors the land’s heritage and inspires future generations.

They called it the B.E.E. Project (Botanical Enrichment Effort). Chris has his own name for it: the Heritage Garden at the Coastal Discovery Museum. Both names speak to what was created. It is a place where the natural beauty of the Lowcountry meets the deep agricultural and cultural story of this land.

What the class built: Three custom planters installed and seeded with native plants · New seating areas for visitors to rest and reflect · Land cleared and beautified · Educational signage featuring the history of indigo, cotton, and Carolina Gold rice – the crops that shaped this region’s identity.

The Greenery’s Role: From Vision to Reality

This is where our team’s expertise made the difference. Tim Drake and Todd Parrott of The Greenery, Inc. personally designed the garden space – bringing their horticultural and landscape knowledge to bear on a project that deserved nothing less. The Greenery team played a central role in both sourcing the plants and executing the installation, ensuring the garden would thrive for years to come.

And in recognition of that contribution, The Greenery, Inc. is prominently acknowledged at the entrance to the garden. It’s a small detail that carries a lot of meaning. It serves as a reminder that when local businesses invest in their communities, communities remember.

• Native plant installations promoting biodiversity and pollinator health
• Educational signage on indigo, “Three Sisters”, cotton, and Carolina Gold rice
• Three custom planters with seating and cleared surroundings
• Sustainable landscaping honoring Lowcountry agricultural heritage
• Community programming for visitors and local students

A Leader Grows

For Chris, the experience was as much about personal growth as it was about the garden.

“The Greenery invests in growing leaders,” he reflected, “and being part of this program was a chance to live that value outside the walls of our company.” Working alongside 22 fellow ‘classmates’ – each driven, each with valuable opinions, each deeply invested in this community – taught him something that no spreadsheet or strategy session could: how to lead toward a shared vision incorporating various ideas while advancing on the path forward.

The garden at Honey Horn will be visited by roughly 130,000 people each year with guests arriving for the Heritage Tournament, weddings, festivals, and everyday exploration of one of the Lowcountry’s most beloved landmarks. Every one of them will walk past a garden that Chris Solano and his classmates built. Every one of them will have the chance to learn about the land they’re standing on.

“Together, we can grow a garden that tells a story of nature, of history, of community, and of hope.”
– Chamber Leadership Class of 2026

We’re incredibly proud of Chris and the entire Leadership Class of 2026. We are honored that The Greenery’s name and more than 50 years’ expertise are woven into something so meaningful. This is exactly the kind of work that reminds us why we do what we do.