Saturday, September 22, 2012

I 'Heart' Philip Simmons Garden




Decorative Letter Set Clip Art  here is a small garden 
in Charleston, South Carolina, named the Heart Garden. It is also known as the Philip Simmons Garden.

                                                                         

I didn't know anything about Philip Simmons (1912 - 2009) or this garden until my recent trip to Charleston for a family wedding when I saw a notation for it on a small tourist map of Charleston. Fortunately I was able to squeeze in a visit on the last day of my trip, just before driving to the airport.

I was happy that I did.


You may not find this one on a 'must see' garden list. It didn't pop up on any internet searches I did for local gardens and it is not well marked, if at all, on location at the unpretentious church. But when I googled Philip Simmons, I learned that this garden makes perfect sense. 
And, with the heart--and church--motif, it's also a perfect ending to a 
destination wedding trip!

In addition to parties and a tour of the Magnolia Plantation with the happy couple, I spent hours in the heat in previous days wandering this historic city, admiring the countless beautiful homes and gardens featuring side yards, tall brick walls and lots of wrought iron--on gates, window grills and balconies.
(Read more on previous post.)



But at the heart of this garden is a lovely tribute to the talented Mr. Simmons, 
a notable artisan and blacksmith, in the back yard of the church he attended, 
the St. John's Reformed Episcopal Church at 91 Anson Street.


In a career that spanned 77 years, starting at age 13 because he was so drawn to it, Mr. Simmons is said to have created some 500 wrought iron pieces in his lifetime in Charleston.  He was still alive when the garden was created and he designed the double-heart gate at the entrance (shown at the top of this blog post).  He has received several honors, books have been written about 'The Iron Man of Charleston' and his work is in the Smithsonian Institute.


  The garden itself is designed by another local artisan, Pearl Fryar, 
a self-taught topiary artist who is notable for his garden in Bishopville, South Carolina. I was also unaware of Mr. Fryar before seeing this garden, but now I have read up a little on him and I am looking forward to seeing the documentary film, A Man Named Pearl.


And lucky for me that their lives crossed paths here, in a garden,
where I had an opportunity to see their work, learn about them
and learn something special about the history of iron making in Charleston.


But more importantly, I learned about
two inspirational and talented American artists, one a blacksmith and the other a gardener, who both followed their hearts and spent their lives doing exactly what they loved to do. 

That is a great gift.


This is GardenEnvy.



All rights reserved 2012 by jayro.

7 comments:

  1. I sometimes wonder if my generation are leaving enough beauty in the world for our descendants.
    A fitting follow up to the post on side gardens and all the iron work.

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  2. It's a wonderful looking garden, and that gate is so lovely!

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  3. This garden looks divine, and your photographs have a lovely light quality to them. Thanks for the post!

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  4. I used to live in SC taught Phillip Simmons' great nephew. I am a huge fan of his work- Phillip Simmons, not the nephew- and have framed drawings of his gates in my house. I've never been to his garden but will next time I go back to Charleston. :o) Thanks for the story!

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  5. Wow...and framed drawings? That's awesome. I am so glad you enjoyed the story. Thanks for the visit!
    Jeannine

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  6. What a beautiful garden! It is a great tribute to a remarkable artisan, done by an equally amazing man! I recently saw the documentary on Pearl Fryar. It has given me a deep appreciation of him as a person as well as a topiary artist.

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