Throughout the month of June, Greenwood, South Carolina boasts the 54th annual Festival of Flowers with beautiful topiary sculptures. The displays highlight a variety of sizes, plants, colors, and textures.
Most of the “living” creations are featured in front of Main Street storefronts. You can download a map and descriptions of the topiaries from the website. In 2021, there are 44 unique shapes.
Some of the designs focus on animal families like an elephant and her calf, a lion and cub, a 14-foot giraffe with her 6-foot newborn, a pair of monkeys, and playful pandas.
Other topiaries have a water theme such as an alligator, a dolphin, a frog, the beautiful mermaid, turtles, ducks, a seahorse, and a flamingo.
Two topiary spaces, one of which includes the mermaid and dolphin, are incorporated into fountains and ponds with water lilies. When I visited, the lilies were just coming into full bloom. Other figures are nestled into live flower beds. It’s lovely to see the mix of sculpture and landscaping.
Some of my other favorites are a T-Rex, King Kong, a stork with a delivery, and a Labrador puppy next to a fire hydrant.
Visitors even have a chance for a photo op at the SMILE topiary sign!
Greenwood
According to the Chamber of Commerce, the goals of the event are to increase awareness of Greenwood, SC as a “thriving horticultural community” and emphasize Greenwood’s commitment to “the arts in its many forms.” Even when the Festival of Flowers is not going on, there is still a sense of nature and the arts in town. There are murals painted on buildings. The city has an arts center, gallery, community theater, and museum. Throughout Greenwood are green spaces including one on Main Street with a gazebo and a few pollinator gardens.
The Festival of Flowers is the perfect opportunity to explore uptown Greenwood. Check out some neighborhood stores and grab a quick bite to eat. On Wednesdays and Saturdays there is a farmer’s market for fresh and local produce and goods. Next to the market is a kid’s splash pad for those hot southern days.
There are also other events during the festival including a museum opening reception, an art exhibit, the home and garden show, an arts and crafts show, a 5K run and a 1-mile fun run, a topiaries and tastings wine walk, a bee buzzin’ bike tour, and the men’s golf tournament.
Make it a weekend and spend one day exploring Lake Greenwood State Park. You can camp, hike, fish, or go boating.
Checking your blog is almost like traveling again. Soon I will be but this month my son and a small group went to S. Carolina and enjoyed the beautiful state. They came back enthusiastic. I can’t wait to visit myself.. I’m hoping to time my visit with the Topiary show. Thanks,
Hope your son enjoyed South Carolina! There are so many excellent places to visit in the Carolinas. The topiary show is a fun day trip 🙂
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