On the Saturday before Mother’s Day, my three daughters whisked me away to the Porches, Patios & Paths Garden Tour in the nearby town of Cheraw, South Carolina.  Cheraw is pronounced chuh-RAW or shuh-RAW, according to who you ask, and  is often referred to as “the prettiest town in Dixie.”  And now I know why.

Porches, Patios & Paths Garden Tour Info

The tour is provided by The Four Seasons Garden Club. It is sponsored by local businesses and individuals.  We were invited to tour six homes and the cost was only $12.00 each.  We could have paid extra for lunch (total price $20.00), but we wanted to spend some girl time at the restaurant of our choice.  All proceeds from the tour will be used to support a horticultural project for the Matheson Memorial Library in Cheraw.

We were given a beautifully designed brochure with directions to each home. It included tidbits of information about the different gardens.  I liked how we could tour at our own leisure. We didn’t have to stay with a group.

All of the homes were in town except for the very first one.  We rode out into the country a bit and when we arrived, we were amazed at the beauty of the home and the grounds.  We were warmly greeted by the gracious owner as well as members of the garden club. I was given permission to take pictures (I always ask!).

The Beautiful Homes

The owner explained that her home was more of a porch tour. The grounds were young and not fully developed.  I thought the grounds were exquisite!

If I had that screened in porch, complete with a fireplace and overlooking the massive fishpond, I don’t think I would ever leave, except maybe to walk over a few steps onto the beautiful patio to rock away my day in one of several rocking chairs.

And Even More Amazing Photos

On the grounds of the home, we watched an artist sitting in the shade of the tree painting.  She also had little packets of flower seeds from her own garden. She gave the flower seeds away to the participants of the tour.

Beautiful Flower Gardens

What a beautiful way to begin the tour!  Make sure you stop by next Thursday for part 2. The next two gardens are in the historic district.  You really don’t want to miss it!

You can see part 2 of the garden tour here. Check out the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th part of the tour.