Photo above: Friday’s garden is a combination of plants shared by generous gardening friends as well as many unique plants started from seed, cuttings or division. Photos provided.
Staff reports
Every day is something special during the Beaufort Garden Club’s 23rd annual Garden-A-Day.
This event, which takes place from Monday, June 5, to Friday, June 9, features strolls through lovely gardens throughout the community.
Garden-A-Day week begins at The Point. This garden and its historic house are located on the Beaufort River with a view of the swing bridge. The garden gives a sense of serenity with its stately oak trees.
Various garden venues are bounded by boxwoods of all sizes. Some feature giant Farfugiums with their polished leaves, potted lemon and kumquat trees. In other areas Podocarpus is accented by varieties of azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas, annuals and much more.
The entry immediately captures the quiet of the river with the sound of trickling water from the elegant fountain.
Tuesday’s garden in Spanish Point has a twofold purpose.
The first is to delight the young at heart with a G-scale garden railroad that meanders through a landscape of shade-loving mosses, ground covers and flowers. Hobby train lovers will find this feature a delight.
The second is to provide a wildlife habitat for birds. This part of the garden is under a canopy of pine and oak trees with an understory of azaleas and hydrangeas.
Bird feeders hang from branches and birdbaths are tucked along the edges of the woods planted with green and white Hosta intermixed with pink Caladiums.
Gardening has always been a passion for Wednesday’s gardener in Bluff Farms on Lady’s Island.
When she moved there the yard was all wooded and the decision was to keep it that way: not a blade of grass.
Another goal was to have something blooming at all times and to use only native plants.
To replace the lack of grass, the focus was to infuse the garden with as much green as possible. So, 149 bushes and trees were planted over 11 years along with many other perennials. The challenge was to work around a drain field and many micro climates a mere 8 feet apart. The result is a soft woodland landscape looking out on Factory Creek.
In the process of downsizing and looking for a smaller house, Thursday’s Port Royal gardener fell in love with the yard. While out of control, it had great bones.
When her mom passed away as the landscaping began, she created a memorial to her mom and a sanctuary for all who visit. The sound of chimes invites you in and paths lead to benches where anyone can sit and feel welcome. Original art hangs on the fence and pots of flowers are everywhere. The yard is infused with the colors of purple and red.
Friday’s garden is a reflection of places visited and loved, and places never visited but admired. The garden is planted in “drifts of one” because that’s what the budget will allow.
It’s a combination of plants shared by generous gardening friends as well as many unique plants started from seed, cuttings or division.
This gardener describes herself as a “plunker”: one who wanders around her garden with plant and trowel in hand looking for the right spot. Gardeners abhor a bare spot like nature abhors a vacuum.
Located in Walling Grove on Lady’s Island, it’s a gardener’s treasure trove and an inspiration.
Visit beaufortgardenclub.com.
