ColorFall at Moore Farms and Botanical Gardens

 ColorFall at Moore Farms and Botanical Gardens

My Mom, Sister and I attended the annual Colorfall garden open house this past Saturday at Moore Farms and Botanical Gardens in Lake City.   The admission price was only $15 and proceeds benefited the A.C. Moore Herbarium of the University of South Carolina.   Admission included admission into the gardens and plant sale, a delicious chicken bog lunch, with sides, bread, and tea . The fall plant sale had some very unique plants.  It was a day filled with good fun, rare plants, and spectacular weather.

This beautiful garden was founded in 2002 by South Carolina native Darla Moore, who sought to prove that her family’s ancestral croplands could be transformed into a place of beauty, and an example of horticultural excellence.   As her garden grew, so did Ms. Moore’s vision for the future of the property. Soon she began to see the potential of the garden as a place for horticultural research and education, and as a place of enjoyment for visitors. Moreover, she saw that the garden could become a source of pride for the people of her hometown and home state. The garden, she determined, would become a gift to the ages – an enrichment to the lives of others.    Today, a visitor to Moore Farms Botanical Garden will find a garden that is mature beyond its years, and spectacular in its variation of design features and plant species. This diverse wonderland now thrives in soil that was once carpeted with row crops.

One of our favorite parts of the tour were the unique living wall and roof garden.  The fall colors were absolutely spectacular.     This was truly one of the best times of year to be outside in the garden.  The South Carolina heat has finally dissipated and  winter is starting to creeping in.  Moore Farms had plants that you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else, and the examples of how to use them in the garden were plentiful.

The garden has a very interesting website.  Here is a link:   http://www.moorefarmsbg.org

I look forward to attending the spring garden tour with my Mom and sister to experience how the garden changes from season to season.   This garden is truly special and unique. While the garden doesn't have regularly scheduled visiting hours they do currently, offer several open house days per year during which the public can tour the gardens. They also host classes and professional workshops. All other visitation is by appointment only.  They simply ask that tour requests be limited to groups of 10 people or more and preference is given to horticulture oriented groups such as garden clubs, landscape professionals and members of the local community.   I hope that you will check out this special little gem in the Pee Dee Region of South Carolina!

Directions

Moore Farms Botanical Garden
100 New Zion Rd.
Lake City, SC 29560