Fall is a cool time to check out the various festivals, fairs and garden tours and other activities around the Carolinas. Many of them are located within a reasonable distance for a day trip while you may want to work others into a weekend excursion. Fall plant sales also give you an opportunity to grab up specimens at the perfect time of year for planting.
Guided and self-guided tours of gardens and arboretums are a great way to enjoy hours in the outdoors gathering ideas for you own garden back home. At most festivals and fairs, you will find displays of fresh produce from the area, displays of canned goods and exhibits of exceptional floral and houseplant specimens. You will also find an assortment of workshops on tap that relate to gardening.
Two very good sources for information on upcoming events are http://www.sciway.net/tourism/sc-state-fairs.html and http://statebystategardening.com/newsletters/calendar/#carolinas_coe_header.
According to SCIWAY, South Carolina hosts 13 state and county fairs every year, and they are the highlights of the fall season. This year’s Orangeburg County Fair will be held Oct. 5-11, which gives local gardeners time to prepare their entries of produce and field crops, canned goods and floral entries.
Just around the corner is the South Carolina Foothills Heritage Fair held on Highway 123 between Seneca and Westminster. It is touted as the “Upstate’s Premier Agricultural Fair,” and runs Sept. 29 thru Oct. 4. The Sumter County Fair, Sept. 29 thru Oct. 4, features a wide variety of displays including a flower show, agricultural, home gardening, horticulture and hanging plants divisions.
The South Carolina State Fair in Columbia will be held Oct. 14-25. If you want to enter items in the many categories they offer, you should get a move on as the cutoff date is Sept. 1. Some garden and agriculture-related categories include Christmas Trees, Field Crops, Fruits Nuts, Honey, Vegetables, Wine, Cut Horticulture, Potted Plants and Canned Goods.
Touring an arboretum or public garden is not only a nice way to spend the cooler months outside but with camera or notebook in hand, you can also gather many take-home ideas. Some locations that offer guided or self-guided tours include the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, North Carolina and the South Carolina Botanical Gardens in Clemson.
The Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina Garden Club is conducting a fall gardens tour Saturday, Sept. 12. The tour will include unique gardens interspersed with artisan vendors, a Saturday luncheon, a raffle, door prizes and more.
These are just a few of the many opportunities you may want to take advantage of.
Workshops and educational programs also abound ranging from “Creating Pollinator Habitat with Native Plants,” Aug. 18 at the Highlands Biological Station Highlands, North Carolina to “Butterflies and Blooms” at the Lake Conestee Nature Park Aug. 22 in Greenville.
Then there are the many plant sales that will tempt you to add to your garden.
The Hobby Greenhouse Club Fall Plant Sale will be held Sept. 11-12 in Wilmington, North Carolina.
The Botanical Gardens at Asheville will hold a Fall Plant and Rummage Sale Sept. 12, and on Sept. 19 in Manteo, North Carolina, you can take advantage of the End of Summer Plant Sale at the Elizabethan Gardens.
For further information on these and many other offerings, visit the websites listed above.
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