Charleston Annual Garden Tour- Part I

Charleston Annual Garden Tour – Part 1.  Every year in downtown Charleston, homeowners open their homes and private gardens to the public. If you are like me, then you enjoy the experience of taking a walking tour through exquisitely manicured gardens where one is transported into a wonderland of scenic landscapes, filled with beauty and color.

Charleston Annual Garden Tour…

I had the chance to tour some exquisite gardensย in the Historic District of downtown Charleston, and in the Old Village of Charleston, where homes dating back to circa 1680, showcase their architecture, history, gardens, and culture.

The gardens complement the unique character of each house.

Local plants, flowers, and garden designs are on display, most of them showing elements of Italian and English gardens throughout, which in many cases are the extensions of the homes.

First one to visit was the oldest brick home in the Old Village of Charleston where the gardens are interconnected with orchard stone paths.

 

Here, an indoor porch on the side of the home; and it wraps around to the back of the house, leading to an outdoor piazza and a Grandmother’s Garden, shown below.

 

Gorgeous! ย Iย loveย how they utilize natural materials such as brick and stone, alternating areas of light and shade, and the use of water and classical stone urns and benches.

So charming. Oh yeah, I can live here… Tea anyone?

Charleston is known for its Magnolia trees and lovely gardenia blooms.ย  I couldn’t help but notice the lovely bouquet of gardenias on the table.

 

And, if you look closer in this photo above, you’ll see the harbor in the far distance.

An outdoor fireplace greets you as you step down from the stone patio and stroll along the path to find more hidden gardens.

 
 
 
 
 

Can anyone name this pretty bloom?

 
 

As I walked near the harbor and looked back, I could appreciate all the beautiful trees the owners had planted. The plants, magnolias, oaks, and even Italian cypress trees enchant this garden!

 

 
 

As I left one property to walk to another, I couldn’t help but take some photos of these massive oak trees. ย They were everywhere!

 

Charleston Annual Garden Tour, Part I by 2sistersrecipes.com
 

Well, that’s it for now. I look forward to posting Part II very soon. Until then, have a great day!

Check out my post for Part II : Charleston Annual Garden Tour Part II

anna and liz selfie

Welcome! From Anna and Liz

We believe the kitchen is the center and the heart of the home. It is where we cook, eat, and unwind with family and friends, creating memorable traditions! Read more…

Sign Up For Our Email List

Something delicious for your inbox! Subscribe and join our email list and get all our recipes FREE!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

26 Comments

  1. Charleston is my home so I enjoyed the pictures. Just an FYI – the flowers on the table are gardenias, not magnolias.

    1. Oh my goodness Linda, thank you for telling me. I will go in and edit that. Thanks so much! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Loved the porch! Would you know the materials for those? I am trying to renovate ours while we can so gathering ideas here and there.

  3. Garden weddings and festivities are lovely from April through October in Charleston. Charleston is also popular for Destination Weddings. Thank you Lucy for your lovely tips.

  4. A garden is a perfect setting for engaging. A wedding is lovely when pledges are traded among the roses. Garden parties and outside feasting are sublime. You can undoubtedly arrange your garden for an open air gathering, wedding, or garden tour.

  5. A garden is an ideal setting for entertaining. A wedding is exquisite when vows are exchanged among the roses. Garden parties and outdoor dining are superb. You can easily stage your garden for an outdoor party, wedding, or garden tour.

  6. Youngsters who have a garden space to play normally profit by investigating nature, seeing the progressions of the seasons and the different patters and types of vegetation. I recollect my fervor playing "helicopters" with my more established sibling (sycamore seeds), apparently for a considerable length of time at once, endeavoring to fly the ideal flight.

  7. Charleston's Annual Home and Garden tours have always been one of my favorites . . . even my husband enjoys them. I haven't attended the last two years, but your photos are a vivid reminder that I can't miss another one! Such a beautiful city!

  8. A shade greenery enclosure is an original thought that I had never known about until I went by a percentage of the more provincial segments of the South like Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. The Victorian homes were exceptionally box-like and I assume the absence of focal ventilating in those days made the need for shaded seating regions an across the board one. When I got my first very close look at a shaded greenery enclosure, I realized that once I got back home, my new venture for the back yard had for all intents and purposes picked itself for me.

    1. Thanks Mike! There 's so much history to this beautiful city and reasons to why they built their homes the way they did. We love visiting Savannah from time to time as well. The South is so fascinating !

  9. Thank you so much for sharing this tour. This is one of the things I love the most about the south – the lush green gardens and the amazing screened porches! Charleston is so pretty and it has been way to long since we visited. Thanks ladies – happy Easter!

    1. HI Tricia! Thank you! Charleston stole our hearts a few years back while we came for a visit. This summer it will be 4 years since my family and I moved to Charleston and we never get tired of admiring its beauty and charm.

  10. What simply wonderful gardens! Thanks for taking me along! I believe those lovely blue flowers are Blue Agapanthus or African lilies. I just love the indoor porch on the side of the home.

  11. The closest I ever got to Charleston was Hilton Head but we saw some beautiful, old homes and gorgeous Live Oak trees there. Love the part of the country. What a beautiful home and that patio and garden – oh my!