With a simple quote from his book, Carolina Gardens, published 1937 E.T.H. Shaffer captured the essence of Charleston, South Carolina, with its rich and diverse horticultural heritage.  "Viewed as a whole, that bit of drifted yesterday caught between time and the rivers, called Charleston, is a city set in a garden. 

Charleston, and the surrounding Lowcountry, has been characterized by strong horticultural tradition for the past four centuries.  Charlestonians horticultural interests have ranged from plantations, which were practical means of survival and wealth, to city gardens, which were aesthetic symbols of gentility and experimentation.  That culture is still strong today in a place where countless gardens can be found tucked behind wrought iron gates, or stucco and brick walls.

Charleston Horticultural Society is fortunate to have many supporters who graciously open their gardens for us to provide educational opportunities and occasional lunches or receptions.  Join us for a morning, a day or even a few days and let us organize your visit to Charleston.  From guided history tours by horticulturally trained, licensed city guides to private entree and meeting homeowners, we can customize a tour to meet the expectations and the needs of your guests and include the highlights as well as private sites that others can only walk past.

Susan McLeod Epstein, our tours manager, is steeped in the Lowcountry's historic and contemporary gardens and knows their designers and landscape architects.  She is an experienced gardener herself, has worked in the tour industry for nearly two decades and was formally educated in horticulture, earning a Bachelor of Science in the field from Clemson University.

If you are considering a trip to Charleston, call Susan Epstein at 843-769-9922 or email her at SEpstein@CharlestonHorticulturalSociety.org and ask her to put the Horticultural Society's Tours Program to work for you.  The experience, we promise, will be extraordinary!