Aiken Garden Show returning May 13-14, advance tickets available

Holly Kemp, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·6 min read

May 7—A destination garden show in Aiken will open to the public soon, and advance tickets are now available.

The Aiken Garden Show will be held May 13 and 14 at the Aiken County Historical Museum, 433 Newberry St. S.W. The show will be open Friday, May 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, May 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"Nine beautiful, private gardens await your visit to the Aiken Garden Show in historic Aiken," according to a news release. "After picking up your program at Banksia (the Aiken County Historical Museum and central show site), hop on the tour bus or drive just a few miles and discover uniquely beautiful gardens displaying both creativity of design and interesting combinations of plant selections for year-round interest."

The private gardens will be open each day of the show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"These tour gardens are well-kept Aiken secrets ranging from formal to woodland, small to large, decades-old to fairly new," according to the release.

Members of the Aiken Camellia Society, Aiken and Augusta Orchid Society, and South Carolina Bluebird Society will have information tables in various tour gardens to answer questions with their regional garden expertise. Aiken Master Gardeners will have an information table in the Vendor market at Banksia.

Vendors from across the Southeast will offer home improvement and garden wares, plants, amendments, tools, garden art and personal accessories. The Vendor Market will be open during the show on the grounds of Banksia.

The South Carolina Rose Society's All-Arrangement Rose Show — featuring hundreds of locally-grown roses in traditional, modern and Oriental-style designs — starts at 1 p.m. Friday and runs through 4 p.m. Saturday. Details and registration information are available on the Aiken Garden Show's website, aikengardenshow.org.

Sponsored by the Aiken Council of Garden Clubs, a nonprofit educational organization, proceeds from the Aiken Garden Show fund the maintenance of the council's historic Dollhouse headquarters in Hopelands Gardens and garden-related projects for local nonprofits.

Ticket prices are $30 for a two-day ticket or $25 in advance.

Tickets may be purchased online by credit card through May 12. Tickets purchased online will not be mailed but will be held at the registration table on the front porch of Banksia. Print out receipt and bring it to the registration table.

Tickets may also be purchased at the advance price at the following locations: Aiken County Visitors Center, Antiques & Uniques in Aiken, Cold Creek Nurseries in Aiken, Plum Pudding in Aiken, GrassRoots Yard Supply in Graniteville, Ashley's on Main in New Ellenton, Nurseries Caroliniana in North Augusta, Parks Pharmacy in North Augusta, Bedford Greenhouses in Augusta, Woodley's Garden Center in Columbia and Woodley's Garden Center in Irmo.

The Aiken Garden Show will be held rain or shine. No strollers will be permitted in the gardens, and the event is not recommended for children under 8.

Speakers

The 2022 Aiken Garden Show will feature interesting and informative speakers and demonstrations.

At 9 a.m. May 13, Gerald Stephens will present "All You've Ever Wanted to Know About Gardening, but Were Afraid to Ask."

Stephens "studied civil engineering at Clemson for two years. He planned to continue his education in that field when he returned from three years of service in Vietnam, but his brother Ted had other plans for Gerald. Ted, who has an MS in Horticulture, was opening a nursery and asked for Gerald's help. After several years, Gerald found he had become quite proficient in plant pathology and entomology. Eventually, he decided that he preferred drawing on his engineering skills for landscape design," according to the Aiken Garden Show website. "Nurseries Caroliniana (Latin for from the Carolinas) was located in downtown North Augusta for 28 years. When the Highway Department took over their parking lot and well, they moved to their current location on Mim's Church Road. Today their mail-order business (much of which is shipped to the West Coast) is huge, and they have one of the largest plant selections in the United States. They are lovingly referred to as the Tea Olive capital of the world."

At 9 a.m. May 14, Randy Collins will present "The Pollinator Friendly Garden."

"Collins was born, raised and educated in Central Indiana. After college he worked for IBM for 29 years, then spent 15 years as a small-business financial consultant. Randy and his late wife had three children, five grandchildren and several great-grandchildren," according to the Aiken Garden Show website. "He currently enjoys family life and retirement with his second wife. He is a certified Master Gardener and a member, emeritus, of the Aiken County Master Gardener Association, the South Carolina Native Plant Society, the Xerces Society, the Georgia Perennial Plant Association, and the American Horticultural Society. He is the author of 'Stop...and Smell the Mints,' and 'The Garden of the Shulamite,' and his latest book, 'Writing in the Garden.'"

Activities

For tasty treats, coffee and pound cake will be available for purchase from the Banksia Bistro on the side porch of the museum from 8:30-10 a.m.

Bag lunches catered by Newberry Hall will be available in the Conference Room from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Entries for this year's South Carolina Rose Society Rose Show entitled "Rose Receipts" will be available for viewing from 1-5 p.m. on Friday and from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the parlor of the museum. There will be a "rose grab" beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday.

The South Carolina Rose Society and the Aiken Council of Garden Clubs will present an American Rose Society judged All-Arrangements Rose Show as a feature of the 2022 Aiken Garden Show. Amateur arrangers and nature photographers will be invited to compete for ribbons and class trophy awards in classes inspired by recipes.

Judging will take place May 13 from 10 a.m. to noon, and the show will open to the public after judging.

"We are pleased that noted Aiken photographer Ginny Southworth has agreed to join the team of ARS judges to help with the decisions in the first-ever Council of Aiken Garden Clubs Rose Photography Contest," according to the Aiken Garden Show website.

For out-of-town residents planning to visit Aiken for the garden show, several community events will be taking place after the show closes each day.

On Thursday, May 12, visitors can come down to The Alley between Laurens and Newberry streets for "Amp the Alley" any time after 6:30 p.m. Live musicians entertain as residents enjoy a meal or drinks in one of the many restaurants in The Alley.

On Friday, May 13, between 4 and 9 p.m., the annual Hops and Hogs event will be held on Newberry Street where participants can buy tokens to try over 15 craft beers and sample many different versions of Southern barbecue. Visit www.downtownaiken.com.

For other weekend events, see the calendar at www.visitaiken.com.