This year’s Garden a Day event, celebrating National Gardening week, is June 3 to June 7, and features gardens on The Point, Pigeon Point, near town and two on Lady’s Island. The Beaufort Garden Club invites the public to visit five gardens, free of charge, from 9 am to 12:30 pm, rain or shine.
The Garden a Day schedule is as follows:
Monday, June 3th, 412 East Street, the Point
Tuesday, June 4th, 2207 Wilson Drive, Pigeon Point
Wednesday, June 5th, 1 Hermitage Point, Beaufort
Thursday, June 6th, 121 Sunset Boulevard, Lady’s Island
Friday, June 7th, 1 Blythewood Road, Lady’s Island
“This year’s gardens are as unique as they are enchanting. They are a wonderful expression of the beauty that is the Low Country and a great testament to the many dedicated gardeners who call this part of the country home,” said Patricia Howell, 2019 Garden a Day Chair.
“We are thrilled to celebrate our 25thGarden a Day this June, and are very grateful to our homeowners for welcoming us into their beautiful gardens,”said Jane Culley, President,The Beaufort Garden Club.
Garden visitors are asked to not bring pets.
For more information and a schedule, visit www.beaufortgardenclub.com
ABOUT THE GARDENS
Frances Parker Garden – 412 East Street, the Point on Monday 6/3. (Above)
This historic home was built in 1810 with some of the original plantings still in existence. The stately live oak and pecan trees are two mature specimens on this lovely property on the Point. The garden consists of the front lawn, the middle parterred section and the less formal side yard. A variety of mature shrubs border the lace brick fence as you enter the Iron Gate. The sweet bay hedge in the middle garden was started from cuttings that the original owners gathered on a trip to Italy.
Ms. Parker has focused on using different texture and colors to heighten one’s interest. Soft ferns mingle with azaleas and pittosporum. Strappy leaf ophiopogon is accented by violet blue seed heads. The tightly clipped boxwood parterre adds to the formal aesthetics as does the obelisks surrounded by neat Asiatic jasmine. The parterre is filled with a mixture of perennials and annuals. Pots filled with colorful citrus trees are scattered about the side. Topiary specimens march up the porch steps.
A feeling of antebellum delight and mystery lures one into multiple garden rooms. Hundreds of plant genera are to be found. This property is truly charming for the horticulturalist as well as the amateur gardener.
Teresa Roundy Garden – 2207 Wilson Drive on Tuesday 6/4
The garden at 2207 Wilson Drive has some challenges, as the entire lot slopes downward 
towards the back. This had resulted in having to build several retaining walls in the back of the lot. The front of the garden is mostly sunny, while the back is mostly shady. This presents opportunities to have plantings that love the sun and those that prefer the shade.
A goal is to have something blooming during all seasons of the year. One of the great delights of the garden is sitting in it and enjoying all the delights it provides. On the hottest days in the summer the backyard is still comfortable to enjoy. To facilitate this several sitting areas have been created in various areas. There are also edible delights throughout the yard. Some of these are kumquats, satsumas, lemons, blueberries, pomegranates, figs and asparagus. The asparagus seldom make it to the kitchen because they are eaten on the spot.
To enhance the garden the owner has created paths and sitting areas made of pavers, which she laid herself.
Barb and Dave Farrior Garden – 1 Hermitage Pointe on Wednesday 6/5
Over two acres comprise this stunning piece of property at the headwaters of Battery Creek. The owners have been gardening in this gorgeous space for 30 years. This eclectic garden has multiple garden rooms with both a formal parterre and more informal spaces. The stately oaks provide abundant shade for the mature camellias, hellebores, Solomon seal, ligularia as well as other shade loving plants. The sunny parts of the yard have a variety of flowering vines, perennials and flowering shrubs.
Among many highlights of the garden is the multiple varieties of Japanese maple interspersed throughout the picturesque space. It is very apparent that over the years this mature garden has been added to with an unbelievable variety of plants.
The charming potting shed and garden art fill this waterfront garden with multiple spots for contemplation and enjoyment
Susan and Tom Harden Garden – 121 Sunset Boulevard Lady’s Island Thursday 6/6
This garden’s front yard is mostly shady with one sunny area for a vegetable garden behind the fence. Most of the yard plants were brought from Myrtle Beach, which the owner supplemented with plants that caught her fancy. There is a fern garden under the front steps with a water feature. Along one side yard is a shade garden, featuring a traveling fig tree toward the back.
The back yard is in full hot afternoon sun along the creek. The owner has lots of ornamental grasses which do well in heat, sun and poor soil. This yard is situated on the site of the old oyster factory so the soil is very alkaline and any digging reveals lots of oyster shells that seem like concrete. There is also a water feature so the owner planted the bank of the creek with shore juniper to help with the erosion. There are also some tropical plants that have to be protected in the winter, so lots of pots. The owner had two century plants that bloomed last year, and then they died but provided lots of babies.
The yard was not been professionally landscaped; just the owner and God.
Linda and Fred Peters Garden – 1 Blythewood Road Lady’s Island Friday 6/7
Don’t miss this grand finale! It will take your breath away!
You will find a nearly five acre garden with surprises around every corner. There are plants galore… tropical, subtropical, native, heavenly scented, stinky, roses and more. There are also pets, water features and garden ornaments galore. Come help celebrate the Beaufort Garden Club’s 25th anniversary of Garden a Day and have a chance to win a prize! We are looking forward to seeing you, but be sure to wear your walking shoes.
