2010
2010 Garden Tour
The 2010 Festival of Gardens will be held Thursday, May 20 and Saturday, May 22 and will feature the 12 gardens listed below - located in the Spring Valley subdivision.
Click on the corresponding links below to view photos of each garden.
Click on the corresponding links below to view photos of each garden.
Garden 1
Ann and Steve Holtschlag
236 Spring Valley Road
Gardening in the South was a new experience for this couple transplanted from colder climates in 1993. No more going inside to stay after packing away the Halloween pumpkin, only to emerge again on Mother’s Day. Of course, that year-round feature can have a happy aspect too as Steve and Ann have discovered while building this garden from scratch. The landscape is designed as a family gathering place since the Holtschlag clan is widely scattered. Click here to read full description.
Garden 2
Jane and Greg Evans
120 Spring Valley Court
Greg Evans maintains that a “real” gardener is willing to move a plant three times to get it right. Apparently this also applies to Greg and his wife Jane. This is their third house in Columbia. They have most recently moved from Charleston and the influence of that city is found throughout this space in the ironwork designed by Greg and executed by a craftsman on Johns Island. As you move through this seemingly compact space, you will find it hard to believe that this garden is only two years old. It is a jewel box of color, variety and whimsy. Click here to read full description.
Garden 3
Susan Hamilton and Tom Gross
116 Southlake Road
This garden on Southlake Road radiates with color in every season with a plethora of trees, bushes and perennials. The centerpiece is a re-circulating stream that meanders through the beautifully terraced garden before flowing into Lower Spring Valley Lake. Tom loves his trees and you’ll see a Coral Bark Japanese maple, which is prettiest in the dead of winter, Forest Pansy redbud, and a flowering cherry that nicely complements the footbridge and lanterns scattered through the landscape. Click here to read full description.
Garden 4
Francine and Phil Smith
201 Southlake Road
This couple could turn the tarmac of an airport into a place of blooming beauty. Fran would select the planters and their contents and Phil would find a way to bring her vision to life. Your first hint of their combined talents comes when you look past the screen of palms to the front porch of this Craftsman inspired house. The pots of agaves and succulents with colorful annuals have a structural quality that mirrors the clean lines of the house. The combination of architecture and landscape make the visit worthwhile. Click here to read full description.
Garden 5
Betsy and Harry Mashburn
8 Northlake Road
The Mashburn name in synonymous with generosity and philanthropy in Columbia and many events supporting a long list of charities and other organizations take place in this impressive garden. Click here to read full description.
Garden 6
Steven Ford and Alonso Cuellar
1 Tiftgreen Circle
This spacious home “speaks Southern” the minute you walk through the stone gates of the driveway. Steven Ford and Alonso Cuellar have been putting their mark on the structure of this Spring Valley garden since they moved in a year ago. Click here to read full description.
Garden 7
Linda and Bill Stern
2134 Bermuda Hills Road
Linda Stern envisioned her front garden as an interplay of shades of green. What at first may sound prosaic becomes poetic as she brings her background in design to one of the prettiest landscapes with a golf course view. We strongly suspect that the hue of her thumb blends well with her choice of colors. Click here to read full description.
Garden 8
Yvonne and Donald Russell
2400 Bermuda Hills Road
This couple is working their way around Spring Valley leaving a legacy of beauty behind. The spectacular house and its landscape are only two years old yet give the impression of a thoughtfully planned and executed Southern garden that has taken much longer to evolve. Yvonne Russell wants to be able to walk through her garden and the resulting “rooms” were given the same careful attention she gave to the home’s interior. Click here to read full description.
Garden 9
Vijaya and Satish Prabhu
18 Long Meadow Lane
We really promised you a rose garden, but Dr. Prabhu would be the first to say maybe not a rose garden like his! You are going to be standing in a space that has been designated the best rose garden in the Southeast United States by the American Rose Society. Satish and his wife Vijaya want you to understand that they grow roses for exhibition and competition events and that this makes their garden different. Semantics will be the last thing on your mind as you pass under the rose draped gate to this incredible landscape. Click here to read full description.
Garden 10
Karen and Charles Potok
311 East Springs
This area around Clark Lake is one of the prettiest in Spring Valley. The garden of Karen and Charles Potok certainly adds to the appeal. The setting of the house as you approach would be remarkable on its own, even without the lake background. There is a leafy softness everywhere in the tree shaded yard. Whatever you admire about traditional Southern landscape design can be found here in its best incarnation. Click here to read full description.
Garden 11
Carreen and Bill Frew
837 Kinlock
The front yard of this home always puts on a show during azalea season, but it’s in the backyard where the creativity really shines. Bill and Carreen Frew invite you to join the friends and neighbors who often pass through their gate to pick a sprig of fresh herbs or find a fresh vegetable or two. Even the birds are welcome….the weeping yaupon holly is an avian salad bar when the berries are on the tree. Click here to read full description.
Garden 12
Erika and Jack Swerling
14 Glenlake Road
This is one of Spring Valley’s most unique homes and the landscaping showcases the architecture perfectly. The Swerlings have had three homes in Spring Valley…they are obviously leaving pockets of beauty behind each time if this house is an example of their talents! Click here to read full description.
