Mr. Pearl Fryar’s Yard Beautification Project Turned into An International Treasure

It all began in 1984 in an effort to win "Yard of the Month".  Mr. Pearl Fryar started to work on his 3-acre garden at his home on the outskirts of Bishopville, SC.

In the northeast corner of South Carolina, almost directly south of Charlotte NC, is one of the best topiary gardens in North America and even better, the story of its creator, curator and horticulturalist, Mr. Pearl Fryar.   In January I drove with my relatives from Greensboro, NC  to see what has been billed as the most amazing topiary garden around. I had heard, read and even seen the video ‘A Man Named Pearl’ of the creator of this garden and his extraordinary creations!  This visit turned into something quite special for me.



As we drove into town, strangely there were evergreens in the center island pruned as topiary, a hint of what was to come perhaps?  We certainly wondered. 

We saw cotton plants in the field, BBQ place which was busy just down the street, Pearls street was just west of downtown.  As we approached, I could see the standalone set of creations on the left hand side of the road. 

Completely missing the directions for parking, we pulled into the driveway and there he was, working at the right front of his home in his John Deere gator, tools and books, some pruners, an array of working equipment at side and in the bed. 

We were the only tourists there so I proceeded to monopolize any time he would give us!!  A generous and grounded man.

You can see in the background an assortment of Pearls Junipers, Boxwoods and Cypress, all a darker green in winter than would normally show tourists in prime  spring and summer, but there are 3 acres of them surrounding his home, his front, rear and side yards too.  These are interspersed with yard art, more whimsical Creations in iron and steel and water and pottery!  I asked Pearl about life, when I said I was from Boston, he volunteered he had been invited to speak at Harvard, he told me of his marketing attempts when he first started, the “Best neighborhood yard in Bishopville”, but he was not in the city limits...He won that recognition for the first time, then the second then the third, the garden clubs followed, then he told me the story of

HGTV and being on that. 

As a self proclaimed 'AVERAGE STUDENT', Pearl Fryar is dedicated to capturing the attention of at-risk children who do not excel at school and who may be in danger of falling through the cracks. He tells visitors to the garden that he believes a student’s academic performance does not always reflect potential for success. His dream is to inspire youth who have creative abilities and to help them find the confidence to pursue creative goals.

Learn more about his scholarship here.

There are several You Tube videos of Pearl and his creative beauty.  Definitely check them out. Here’s one such video:

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• Meet the 'Plant Whisperer', Jim Harshbarger; Massachusetts Certified Arborist'
• Learn more about THE GARDEN TUTOR

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