At the end of our talk with the Button King, Mr. Stevens asked Krista and me if we had been to see Pearl Fryar yet. When we explained that he was the next stop on our list, the Button King gave us a personal escort through the heart of downtown Bishopville, straight to the front yard of topiary gardener, Pearl Fryar (a courtesy that the two Bishopville artists extend to each other).
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| Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden near entrance |
Now I know what you are thinking, two renowned self-taught artists who are both in Bishopville, SC; what are the odds? Well, that I couldn’t tell you, but what I did learn from our trip is that, despite the most adverse conditions, individuals will continually rise to the occasion to overcome hardship and make something beautiful, their art. Bishopville is a small town located in one of the poorest counties in our state. In the past it was known for only one thing— cotton. This is still clear to anyone passing through today who observes the numerous open fields, dotted with small clusters of white, that dominate most of the landscape. However, cotton isn’t the only thing that grows there.
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| Pine trees near "Peace, Love and Goodwill" portion of the Garden |
For those of you who have not seen the documentary A Man Named Pearl (which I highly recommend) Pearl Fryar is a 71 year old resident of Bishopville who has created and maintains a topiary garden that defies the rules of horticulture. Born the son of a sharecropper in North Carolina, Fryar began the gardening for which he is now famous at his current home in Lee County. Determined to win yard of the month to quiet individuals making racial slurs about an African American moving into the community, Fryar collected the discarded “throw away” plants from a nearby nursery. With the few remaining green shoots that survived on these plants and a 3 min lesson on how to cut plants with a hedge trimmer Fryar began to growing what is now a internationally recognized garden gallery filled with his “living sculptures.”
This is not a garden of green bunnies or rigid geometric shapes but rather a culmination of abstract pieces from Fryar’s creativity that flow together to form, not a garden, but a feeling. Experts in gardening walk through with their mouths open at the accomplishments this man has made in topiary art. Pieces that are impossible to create per the experts have flourished under Fryar’s care; his lack of professional training leaving him freed from the boundaries of convention to soar. And how does his garden grow? Hard work and a lot of patience Fryar claims are the secret to the 3 ½ acre garden that surrounds his home.
Fryar’s creativity is astounding. He has the ability to think and form space in 4 dimensions as he prunes and trims his living sculptures, taking into account how they will change as they grow, eventually making the shape he wants. And Fryar’s work does not stop there. He also has many pieces of “junk” art that take the form of sculptures and mobiles throughout the garden. Though these are not for sale they do make appearances in shows and exhibits that host Fryar’s work. In fact each work is made with a removable component from the base that it is attached to so that Fryar can mix and match his junk art interchangeably. This ensures that the pieces work together to create the combined environment he wants.
In addition to his artistic talent Fryar remains a humble, charitable community man. Fryar has donated living sculptures both to his local downtown area as well as to the state museum in Columbia. He has also given much of his time visiting schools and events to deliver the message, to students and adults alike, that with hard work you can accomplish anything.
If you are ever in Bishopville come by any time year round from 10:00am to 4:00pm, Tuesday to Saturday, to 145 Broad Acres Road, Bishopville SC, 29010 to see this miraculous garden. If you aren’t ever planning on visiting Bishopville I send the same message, come see Pearl! The garden is free to tour, donations are accepted. I would also suggest calling ahead to 803.484.5581 to get a personal tour by the man himself, Mr. Pearl Fryar. Also feel free to check out the garden at http://www.pearlfryar.com/ or watch A Man Named Pearl. I know you’ll enjoy seeing these "cut-up plants" as much as I did.
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| More from section near side entrance (photo by Krista Jones) |
This is not a garden of green bunnies or rigid geometric shapes but rather a culmination of abstract pieces from Fryar’s creativity that flow together to form, not a garden, but a feeling. Experts in gardening walk through with their mouths open at the accomplishments this man has made in topiary art. Pieces that are impossible to create per the experts have flourished under Fryar’s care; his lack of professional training leaving him freed from the boundaries of convention to soar. And how does his garden grow? Hard work and a lot of patience Fryar claims are the secret to the 3 ½ acre garden that surrounds his home.
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| Tree bordering side of "Peace, Love and Goodwill" section of the garden |
Fryar’s creativity is astounding. He has the ability to think and form space in 4 dimensions as he prunes and trims his living sculptures, taking into account how they will change as they grow, eventually making the shape he wants. And Fryar’s work does not stop there. He also has many pieces of “junk” art that take the form of sculptures and mobiles throughout the garden. Though these are not for sale they do make appearances in shows and exhibits that host Fryar’s work. In fact each work is made with a removable component from the base that it is attached to so that Fryar can mix and match his junk art interchangeably. This ensures that the pieces work together to create the combined environment he wants.
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| "Junk art" sculpture near the entrance of the garden |
In addition to his artistic talent Fryar remains a humble, charitable community man. Fryar has donated living sculptures both to his local downtown area as well as to the state museum in Columbia. He has also given much of his time visiting schools and events to deliver the message, to students and adults alike, that with hard work you can accomplish anything.
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| Pearl Fryar |
If you are ever in Bishopville come by any time year round from 10:00am to 4:00pm, Tuesday to Saturday, to 145 Broad Acres Road, Bishopville SC, 29010 to see this miraculous garden. If you aren’t ever planning on visiting Bishopville I send the same message, come see Pearl! The garden is free to tour, donations are accepted. I would also suggest calling ahead to 803.484.5581 to get a personal tour by the man himself, Mr. Pearl Fryar. Also feel free to check out the garden at http://www.pearlfryar.com/ or watch A Man Named Pearl. I know you’ll enjoy seeing these "cut-up plants" as much as I did.
-Nathan
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