Beaufort Garden Club

26th Annual Garden-A-Day Event

This year’s Garden-A-Day event, celebrating National Gardening week, is from June 6 to June 10 and features gardens on The Point, City Walk, Battery Point, and two on Lady’s Island. The Beaufort Garden Club invites the public to visit these gardens, free of charge, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., rain or shine.

“Our garden selections this year offer something for every gardener — from the novice to the experienced — and exemplify the beauty of the Lowcountry,” said Bea Gregory, 2022 Garden-A-Day Chair.

“We are thrilled to once again be able to hold our 26th Annual Garden-A- Day event this June and are very grateful to our homeowners for welcoming us into their beautiful gardens,” said Anna Maragos, president of the Beaufort Garden Club.

The Beaufort Garden Club, second oldest garden club in South Carolina, has been holding its Garden-A-Day event every year since 1994. The event draws large crowds from South Carolina, surrounding states, and even as far as Canada.

Garden visitors are asked not to bring pets.

Art and Liz Namerow, 305 East Street
Monday, June 6
The East Street home was built in the early 1940s by Mrs. Wilder, owner of the Golden Eagle Tavern, located around the corner. She created a one-story, asbestos-shingled ranch house. Before Mrs. Wilder, the property belonged to the Chatwells and was used as a lumber yard with saws, kilns, and floating rafts along the Baxter Creek. A blacksmith occupied the southern side of the property, where horseshoes and various forging tools were found through the years.

In 1977, Mrs. Davis took title of the property from Mrs. Wilder, and, in 1992, new owner Robin Carrier raised the house 8 feet, added stucco, replaced the plumbing, rewired the heat and air conditioning, and named it “The Silk Ear” from the adage “making a silk purse from a sow’s ear.”

Art and Liz Namerow bought the home in 2006. Art has been a lifelong, passionate gardener. Moving from CT, Art learned by trial and error within a few years which florals and greens thrive in the southern summer sun, and which are happier and healthier in the sheltered shade. He chooses colorful florals to attract the birds, bees, and butterflies, and he pays little attention to the botanical Latin names of his fauna family as long as they show and say Happy! His navel oranges are juicy, and his Meyer lemons make for a tasty, warming Limoncello in the winter months.

Dr. Carol Hyde, The Symphony Garden, 2 Fox Sparrow
Tuesday, June 7
As a lifelong, midwestern gardener, I spent the long, cold, winter months inside, daydreaming about playing in the garden. Finally, I decided to “lengthen” my gardening year and moved to Lady’s Island in August 2019. The new construction lot had a few bushes in the front yard, leaving me with a clean palette to “paint” my gardens.

I wanted a tropical garden with a riot of colors, textures, and varieties.

In addition, I moved down some very unusual yard art that paid homage to my career as a band director. Before retiring, I cleaned out the used instrument storage room and envisioned another use for the instruments destined to be trashed. I hauled them up to a metal artist from Michigan. Six months later, he returned the life-size musicians to me to adorn my garden. Now, I have 30 musicians tucked into my backyard garden, adding wonderful touches of whimsy.

The tropical music lover’s garden brings me joy every day and indeed is my “happy place.”

Bill and Laura Kelly, 602 Water Street
Wednesday, June 8
Landscape Architect Cindy Cline did a marvelous job turning our ideas into a plan, and the garden was planted in the fall 2020. People who see the garden for the first time are surprised to learn it is only 18 months old, a testimony to how well things grow in the Lowcountry.

Plants featured in the garden were installed with a purpose — viburnums to screen the alley way, anise for the foundation planting, farfugium in the shady areas and around the fountain, azaleas to line the walkways, sabal palms and Chinese fan palms to frame the patio, and a small lawn for our new Lagotto puppy, Keegan. Also sprinkled in are several different perennials of different colors in changing seasons.

Not all of it has worked perfectly, and we have already started moving things around, so the garden is a work in progress with an emphasis on the word “work.” Like everything in 2020, the pandemic had its hand in what we could do and when we could do it. Some of the plants we wanted to use were unavailable or are just now becoming available, so we expect the look to evolve over time.

Mike & Joyce McFadden, 58 Petigru Drive
Thursday, June 9
This is a small garden going into its sixth season. The garden was designed to provide a habitat for birds and butterflies, which is a most enjoyed aspect. A water feature on the patio features the lyrics of a Louis Armstrong song.

An azalea garden on the side of the house is bordered by daylilies. There are mixed borders on both sides of the driveway under a canopy of Crepe myrtles. The gardeners are partial to flowers, and use an abundance of blue and purple blooms as they can be enjoyed by one of the owners who is color-blind.

Richard and Denise Geier, 32 Petigru Drive
Thursday, June 9
The garden was designed in 2014 by Edward Marchetti of Buds & Blooms to make the best use of a small space and be relatively low maintenance. The gravel walkway is lined with evergreens and perennials, leaving spots for annual color. The pergola with lattice walls provides privacy and space for hanging baskets and birdhouses. Recent updates were supplied by R & M Nursery and Landscaping.

Charlie and Melinda Singer, 60 Downing Point
Friday, June 10
Nestled among tall live oaks ladened with Spanish moss, the view at 60 Downing Point is breathtaking, overlooking the marsh. Retired landscape architect Charlie and avid gardener Melinda had a vision to create a three-dimensional space for the people to walk through. “We like to create curiosity spots where one must walk through to experience the variety in the space. Alongside the house, within the garden, is a play area with a Tiki Toss hook and cornhole game. As the night approaches, guests are invited to sit and relax by the fire and take in the marsh views. We use outdoor heaters to help extend the outdoor space in the cooler months.

We chose plants native to the area and deer-resistant specimens. We both enjoy gardening and entertaining outdoors with family and friends year-round. Any time of the year, as the sunsets and the tide are at its highest, we have a spectacular view. We thank God every day for allowing us the opportunity to live in his creation, and we love watching it grow and flourish.
For more information, please visit beaufortgardenclub.com.