The Botanical Gardens will soon be blooming with a special delivery from South Carolina with a shipment of 1,000 boxwood plants that arrived on Tuesday from the South Carolina Maritime Heritage Foundation

The foundation, with the help of Boy Scout Troop 20 from Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, donated the plants to help with the restoration of the Island after Hurricane Fabian destroyed much of the vegetation.

"When Hurricane Fabian swept across Bermuda last year, it decimated many of the Island's indigenous plants," said the foundation director Brad Van Liew in a press release.

"It will take decades for those plants to return, but these boxwoods will quickly help restore the beauty of that Island. We are happy to help a nation that has generously hosted our race boats and crews in the Charleston to Bermuda event for many years."

Last Saturday, Boy Scout Troop 20 spent the morning shaking dirt off the two-year old plants in preparation for their delivery to the Island.

The plants, from Carolina Nurseries, then made the 800-mile trek from Charleston via DHL airfreight in 30 containers.

Botanical Gardens curator Lisa Outerbridge said the plants had passed inspection and yesterday (Wednesday) were being potted at the Government nursery at Tulo Valley.

She added that the gardens were still being cleared to accommodate the new plants.

Hank Hofford, a foundation board member, contacted the Parks Department after the hurricane hit last September and has helped fulfil the Department's request for the boxwood plants.

Mr. Hofford has had a long relationship with Bermuda as the foundation also sponsors the biennial Charleston to Bermuda yacht race. The project will continue with the arrival of students from the College of Charleston this spring who will assist in the clean-up and the planting of the boxwoods.