Remembering Richard Gowe, co-creator of DIS Community Garden

This is dedicated to the memory of Richard John Gowe, the best friend, co-creator, and designer of the Daniel Island School and Community Garden, who passed away on June 7, 2025.

 

He was 64 when we lost his physical presence among us, far too young, but the good news this column brings is that his impact can be seen at the garden and all around the community at large.

 

Richard was an architect by profession. He spent 40 years protecting and improving Charleston’s historical context in the midst of its ever-evolving cityscape, and that’s no small task. His imprint on Charleston is substantial and can be seen throughout the cobbled streets, narrow alleys, and broad avenues of our town.

 

But one doesn’t have to travel downtown to see his handiwork. Have you been to the Daniel Island School and Community Garden?

 

It’s right behind and actually tucked into the back of the Daniel Island School, right beside the recently renovated playground and children’s jungle gym. Open the iron gate to enter through the brick fence. Pass through that gate and escape from the hustle and bustle of life to a quiet place that brings these words by British hymn writer and poet Dorothy Frances Gurney (1858-1932) to mind:

 

“The kiss of the sun for pardon,

“The song of the birds for mirth,

“One is nearer God’s heart in a garden,

“Than anywhere else on earth.”

 

Daniel Island is a busy place; finding and protecting a quiet space is not easy. When Richard and Jacqueline Gowe first conceived the idea of the Daniel Island School and Community Garden, that lovely erstwhile thought didn’t just materialize; it took years of work to make it happen.

 

The chief designer of the layout of the garden, with his unique ability to enhance the beauty of nature, was and is Richard Gowe. His presence is among us today in the planting beds he planned and built, in the garden’s attractive layout that the vision of his mind conceived where others saw an empty space, and in the delicate beauty of life growing all around you in this hallowed place.

 

Note the photo of the maypop flower above. Who can improve on this perfection? Well, Richard did. Not by trying to change it somehow, but by enhancing it.

 

Note that the flower is on a brick wall, and the tiny threads hold this climbing vine. That focal garden wall is full of maypop blooms. It’s truly beautiful, and when the morning sun first touches it, it’s stunning. The bees, butterflies, and other pollinators bring it all to life with a subtle hum and buzz that mesmerize.

 

Many saw a plain brick wall, but Richard saw a canvas worthy of a masterpiece. His handiwork lives on, keeping his presence nearby. 

 

Richard designed the compost bins at the garden, too. As seasons move on, folks put their garden trimmings in those bins, and from what many consider to be finished arises a nutritious and renewed soil that sustains the next generation of life.

 

Not too long ago, this writer saw a group of children in the garden and overheard their enthusiasm and amazement as the docent described the various plants and tiny insects living in synergetic harmony there.

 

The joy on their faces made me think of Richard and his lasting impact on generations to come. All who visit the garden are truly the beneficiaries of his life’s skills and so much the better because he was and still is here.

 

Michael Baxley is a member of the Daniel Island School and Community Garden.