Photo Gallery
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2011 Festival of Gardens - Garden 9
Garden 9 - Hannah and Ron Rogers - You'll need a notebook to write down all the names of the plants you will want after seeing Hannah's showplace garden. It contains an amazing assortment of unusual plants expertly grown and arranged and interspersed with whimsical sculptures and garden art. At the street you'll notice Hannah's use of pavers interspersed with squares of dwarf mondo grass to form a checkerboard pattern.
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2011 Festival of Gardens - Garden 8
Garden 8 - David Williams and Ray Cobb - This Colonial Revival style home was extensively remodeled five years ago. David says the ¾ acre garden is a "work in progress", as it too is undergoing extensive reconfiguring. From the street you'll see a low brick wall bordered in front by Vinca, Otto Luken laurel, loropetalum and day lilies.
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2011 Festival of Gardens - Garden 7
Garden 7 - Sally and Robert McElveen - The view of the house and garden from the street is impressive, made so by a circular driveway with a large urn-shaped fountain set inside the curve. Beds at the front of the house are planted with a low hedge of podocarpus and an espaliered pyracantha. A low brick wall separates the driveway and front courtyard, where a limbed-up wax myrtle shades the entryway and a Lady Banks rose frames the scene.
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2011 Festival of Gardens - Garden 6
Garden 6 - Tom McCutchen - The grounds of this house, built about fifty years ago, have four separate and interesting areas of note. The front garden is populated by a magnolia and an American holly tree, azaleas and dogwoods. The open side garden, known affectionately as "Jane's Garden", was the special domain of Jane McCutchen, who imported Lexington County red clay to properly grow her beloved roses.
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2011 Festival of Gardens - Garden 5
Garden 5 - Ethel Trapp - Breathtaking when in flower, a huge saucer magnolia (Japanese magnolia) dominates the street view of this former home of Governor James F. Byrnes. The signature Heathwood brick pillars are covered with Confederate jasmine, as is an arched entryway in the back garden. Knockout roses line the driveway. A handsome limbed-up loropetalum is tucked in the corner near the side gate.
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2011 Festival of Gardens - Garden 4
Garden 4 - Beth and Bud Kibler - As you approach this garden from the street you'll notice the curvilinear design of the lawn and shrub beds. The "relaxed-formal " style was developed by landscape architect George Betsill. English boxwoods, viburnums and hollies are planted across the front of the house; the side and front beds contain hollies, azaleas and camellias.
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2011 Festival of Gardens - Garden 3
Garden 3 - Ann Foster - A low brick wall and cast iron fence define the front garden of this Classical Revival home. Don't be fooled by the narrow front garden...it's the extensive back garden that's the in-town treasure. It is comprised of a series of plantings connected by a meandering path through the two acre site.
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2011 Festival of Gardens - Garden 2
Garden 2 - Sally Williamson - This French Country style home was extensively remodeled just eighteen months ago by its new owner. Sally's bold renovations included freshly landscaping the one and one-half acre grounds using a series of parterres with gravel pathways and a large parking court, all designed by Charleston landscape architect Sheila Wertimer. A brick wall and a row of Cathedral oaks border the Devine Street side of the garden.
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2011 Festival of Gardens - Garden 1
Garden 1 - Judy and Pat Hubbard - You will quickly see the lushness, diversity and artistry of this magical garden created by Pat, the horticulturist, and Judy, the artistic influence. The garden has a tropical feel created by a heavy tree canopy, densely planted flora and some exotic plants mixed in with standard fare. As you approach, take note of the six varieties of palm trees, the rock sculpture depicting a koi pond, and the layers of azaleas, mahonias, acubas and pitttosporum fronting the house.
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2010 Festival of Gardens - Garden 12
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!
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2010 Festival of Gardens - Garden 11
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.
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2010 Festival of Gardens - Garden 10
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.
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2010 Festival of Gardens - Garden 9
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.
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2010 Festival of Gardens - Garden 8
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.
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2010 Festival of Gardens - Garden 7
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.
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2010 Festival of Gardens - Garden 6
2010 Festival of Gardens - Garden 6
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2010 Festival of Gardens - Garden 5
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.
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2010 Festival of Gardens - Garden 4
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.
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2010 Festival of Gardens - Garden 3
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.
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2010 Festival of Gardens - Garden 2
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.
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2010 Festival of Gardens - Garden 1
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.
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Container Workshop - May 8, 2010
Container Workshop - May 8, 2010
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Canalapalooza!
October 25, 2009 - Columbia Green was the lead sponsor of Sunday's event - its major educational outreach this year. Other sponsors included the State Museum, USC's McKissick Museum, Historic Columbia Foundation and the city of Columbia. Read more>>
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Main Street Baskets and Pocket Park
Main Street is a little brighter with the addition of 30 hanging baskets and a new "pocket park" near the former Tapp's Department Store, thanks in part to a $3,000 grant from Columbia Green. Read more.
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St. Peter's Catholic Church
St. Peter's Catholic Church downtown which also received a grant from Columbia Green.
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Summit Parkway/Center for Inquiry Garden
Columbia Green gave the Center of Inquiry, a magnet school within Summit Parkway Middle School in Northeast Columbia, a $3,000 grant. Students, parents and faculty worked side-by-side to create a "story-book" garden.
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2009 Festival of Gardens - Garden 12
The front of this 1939 home is lovely and welcoming with its massive magnolia tree and traditional Southern plants, but it is Dr. and Mrs. James Reynolds' back garden, which appears divided into a series of outdoor "rooms," that screams "Wow!" Wander from the front to "the little house" that serves as a guest retreat next to a pool, bordered by a wall of boxwoods. You'll want to check out the Backyard Wildlife Habitat where smart gardening practices have created a city haven where wildlife can raise their young. This secluded area and the expansive garden have provided the backdrop for weddings, Easter egg hunts, children's birthday parties, engagement and debutante parties, and picnics for decades.
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2009 Festival of Gardens - Garden 11
This new home and garden for Sam and Cynthia Clarke has a "Charleston country" design, with landscaping and plants that reflect the traditional South. Facing east, the base of the elevated front porch is softened with a garden of cast iron plants, glossy dwarf pittosporum, gardenias and perennial bulbs. A Japanese boxwood in a mounded shape adds formality while seasonal annuals and prostrate rosemary grace the walkway entrance. Visible from the street, the long south side of the house features crepe myrtles to blend with neighboring trees across Westminster Drive. Facing west, a boxwood lined circular slate patio defines the walled courtyard. The delight of the back garden is a bronze sculpture sitting in a fountain pool. The figure, "Turtle Child," is reminiscent of American sculptor Edith Barretto Stevens Parson's well-known piece "Frog Baby." Note how the Italian cypress and sweet bay magnolias screen neighboring roof lines and add privacy. The Charleston country theme is completed with a wrought iron arched trellis and garden gate.
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2009 Festival of Gardens - Garden 10
Looking to design a garden that is traditional and Southern? Then head to the home of Dr. and Mrs. Whit Kinder for inspiration. This garden, which is lovely in all seasons, is simply splendid in May. The home was built in the 1940s, but the Kinders redesigned the landscaping and garden. The graceful, evergreen live oaks found throughout the South are at home with the elegant blooms of Formosa azaleas, rhododendron and camellias in the garden. You'll simply want to linger in the shade of the live oaks and "stay a spell".
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2009 Festival of Gardens - Garden 9
The first thing you'll notice in Mr. & Mrs. Mark Cotterill's garden is the magnificent live oak tree spanning the front garden. Secondly, you'll see the broad swath of liriope under the live oak and how the curved lines of the liriope beds and sidewalks create a natural and soft feel. The numerous mature trees make this a shade garden – it is appropriately planted with Japanese fatsias and several varieties of ferns and hostas. A carriage house in the back garden serves as a studio for landscape architect Mark Cotterill, while the raised patio offers an ideal place for outdoor cooking and entertaining.
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2009 Festival of Gardens - Garden 8
Creating an outdoor living space for a home bordering a busy city street would be a challenge for many couples, but Michael Mann and Barbara Rackes as well as their children have added their own special touches to a large yard that is low-maintenance and perfect for their busy lives. A patio for outdoor entertaining opens onto a terrace where container gardens burst with color. Hammocks, purchased on a trip to Costa Rica, provide quiet time among the trees, and a spacious green area provides space for young people to play. A vegetable garden will yield tomatoes, beans, squash and peppers in the summer, and the family enjoys fresh herbs grown in container gardens. The green thumbs of this family are particularly evident in the fruits of their kumquat, lime and lemon trees.
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2009 Festival of Gardens - Garden 7
The garden of the English Tudor home of Mr. and Mrs. Steven Morrison has five distinct spaces. The front of the home is designed to resemble a park, and with 40-plus trees, the area is inviting and spacious. At one end, the home's library and formal living room open on to a Charleston-style garden, created to be an "outdoor room". At the opposite end, a sunroom opens to a formal English garden perfect for parties and entertaining. The landscaping is complete with a small orchard and a public space along the street where the driveway features stones in a European fan design. Built in 1936, this home was named an "All-American Home" in a General Electric competition and was the first in Columbia to have air conditioning.
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2009 Festival of Gardens - Garden 6
The front of this white-columned home owned by Fred Altman faces one of Forest Hills lovely islands. Traditional planting beds add to the Southern appeal of the home, but it's the hillside garden at the back of the home that gives this spacious corner lot its appeal. A wooden deck flows into a more formal brick patio where shade from the home's many trees provides cool and quiet respite among azaleas, roses, Sego palms and container gardens. Steps lead the visitor on to walkways throughout a lovely city garden perfect for parties, summer dinners with friends, or quiet time with a book.
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2009 Festival of Gardens - Garden 5
A quiet English garden complements the design of this delightful white English cottage. Lush ivy is the signature piece of this peaceful garden, covering topiaries as well as flowing gently over the ground and along fences where Carol DuBose finds joy in digging in the dirt and spending time with her dogs, Max, Reba and Scout. You'll find that camellias, roses and azaleas blend in with container gardens filled with begonias and impatiens that DuBose places in groups. Blue, white and yellow blooms mix well with graceful ferns, as do pink and yellow blooms – all of which reinforce the inviting style of cottage living. An old-fashioned potting station that belonged to DuBose's father showcases containers that are works of art in progress.
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2009 Festival of Gardens - Garden 4
It might have been a difficult task to take a city home on a corner lot off Forest Drive and design a garden for entertaining and relaxation, but accomplished gardener Hillary McDonald has created an environment that is private, yet inviting. At the front, mixed beds offer variety in texture and color. Hydrangeas, azaleas, dogwood, Shasta daisies, Japanese maples, and Abelia add color from spring through fall. Follow the driveway around the house to a butterfly garden with lantana, black-eyed Susan, and salvia. A cozy courtyard with a fountain joins ferns, ivy, and herbs and is furher accented with caladiums. At the end of the driveway, wax myrtles provide a screen into a spacious, shady garden perfect for parties and for McDonald's dog Maggie to play.
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2009 Festival of Gardens - Garden 3
"I want it to be charming" was the criteria that Tina Lane set for the elegant brick and wrought iron hardscape and inviting landscape meticulously designed for her Forest Hills home built in the 1930s. The stately oak tree, blue hydrangeas and magnificent camellias are original to the home. For the rest of her landscaping, Lane chose plants and flowers that were prevalent when the house was built. The front garden has no grass, though no visitors will notice when they are carried away by the fragrant and abundant antique roses, dogwoods, white and pink quince, a dwarf Alberta spruce, green velvet boxwoods, snow cap daisies, Japanese Kerria, coral bark maple, and Society Garlic, to name but a few of her interesting plants. Don't miss the delightful herb garden, once an annual bed, near the front door that boasts variegated thyme, pineapple sage, sweet basil, lemon sage, Greek oregano, dill and dark opal parsley - all just waiting to be pinched for dinner! Look over the back gate to the shady garden that Lane designed for Toby, her friendly pet Vizsla.
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2009 Festival of Gardens - Garden 2
Welcome to the Lowcountry! Charleston influences are evident in this spectacular home and garden peacefully tucked away in Columbia’s Tanglewood neighborhood. A bronze crane spews water into a captivating pool that can be viewed from the den, kitchen, and master bedroom. The garden has lots of room for children to play, and a large, painted Palmetto tree sculpture adds a touch of whimsy to the playground. Bounded in the back by the tall, mature trees of a neighboring community, this home and garden are a quiet retreat within the city.
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2009 Festival of Gardens - Garden 1
1666 Tanglewood Road - Beautiful brick walls create privacy and give formality to this garden where the sound of water spilling from a large fountain adds to the serenity of the home of Dr. and Mrs. Mark Salley. A large covered patio, beautifully designed and welcoming, looks out over the formal setting where palms, ferns, and boxwoods add layers of green to the landscaping. Bursts of color come from the hanging baskets and lavish container gardens that can be changed throughout the year to accommodate the changing seasons.
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People and Trees Workshop
Columbia Green members and guests heard tree care tips during a four-hour symposium at the Robert Mills House on Saturday, April 4th.
