In August 2018 my mom and I decided to take a road trip from my sister’s home in an un-named southern city, where I was crashing for a few months, to visit Pearl Fryar’s Topiary Garden, in Bishopville, SC.

Pearl Fryar is a folk artist, famous for, in the 1980s, having cleared a three-acre cornfield next to his home and, with no training and using “throwaway” plants salvaged from a local nursery’s discards, created a fantastic topiary garden, incorporating his own whimsical found-object assemblage sculptures in places, which has become a regional tourist attraction of sorts. As late as 2018, he was still maintaining it himself as he rounded the corner into his 80s.

While visiting, we had the good fortune to meet and chat briefly with Mr. Fryar himself, who came out to tend to the grounds while we were there. Nice fellow. I think it must take a special temperament to handle all sorts of people dropping by your property day in and day out for over 30 years.

I only snapped a few photos, but it’s a unique place and was a memorable visit.