The Philip Simmons Memorial Garden or "Heart Garden" at the St. John's Reformed Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC was a collaboration sponsored by the Spoleto Festival to celebrate two of South Carolina's internationally known artisans: blacksmith Philip Simmons and topiary artist Pearl Fryar. This was Philip Simmons's church, and the grounds are surrounded by his decorative ironworks including this peaceful garden that is full of topiaries created by Pearl Fryar.
The Garden Club of Charleston now maintains this garden and has recently enlisted the expertise of property artist Mike Gibson, who worked with Pearl and who also brings in his unique style, to provide workshops for their members that demonstrate different pruning techniques ideal for these topiaries. In this video, Clemson Extension Agent and host of "Making It Grow" Amanda McNulty talks with Philip Simmons Foundation member Rossie Colter about Philip, Pearl, and the history of the garden and then Amanda talks with Mike Gibson on the day of one of the workshops.
Side Notes
- Pearl Fryar, Iconic Topiary Artist has died at 86.
- Pearl Fryar's Living Legacy Continues - Pearl Fryar’s medium is plants. His message is crystal clear even among his forest of swaying green creatures, his topiary garden spread across three acres in Bishopville, South Carolina. Now in his eighties, Fryar planted his garden over decades and opened it to the public in the 1980s.
- June 27 was recognized as Pearl Fryar Day by the South Carolina General Assembly for his “humanitarian ideals and artistic influence” (1998)
- Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Award for the Arts (2013)
- Award of Excellence - National Garden Clubs Inc. (2017) - "My goal when I started my garden was to win Yard of the Month," Fryar said chuckling. The chuckles come because the 77-year-old man with no gardening experience was awarded the Award of Excellence, the National Garden Clubs' highest honor.
- Pearl Fryar's Topiary Oasis in Rural South Carolina.
