Art in Bloom, a celebration of artful gardens in the Carolina foothills will take place Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23, featuring six private gardens in the Tryon area. The Art in Bloom Committee believes that few areas in the world can rival the beauty of the foothills. Their motivation is to share this beauty by celebrating the art of gardening during the inaugural two-day event.

Two of the six private gardens are in Many Levels off Hunting Country Road and four are grouped together near or on Collinsville and Jackson Grove Roads. Local artists will be painting landscapes in each garden and master gardeners will be on hand to answer questions. Parking areas with shuttle service will make touring accessible.

In Many Levels, Ginny and Ed Rosticks garden features several smaller gardens displaying an abundance of plantings for all seasons. A Koi pond and small waterfalls expand the Asian serenity of the exterior of the main house while vegetable and old-fashioned flower beds shine against the backdrop of Hogback and Rocky Spur mountains.

Jo Ann and Marion McMillans terraced garden contains many different rooms with gates and furniture in whimsical colors to create places to stop along the way and enjoy the views. A water feature mimics a North Carolina mountain stream, and blueberry and raspberry bushes blend with roses and container gardens to create many different feelings and effects.

Off Collinsville Road, Holly Hill, a woodland habitat, has been carefully crafted by Ann Allen, an artist who has used an existing meandering creek as the basis for miniature venues connected by large shade trees and sculptures.

With land that gently slopes down to Hooper Creek, Bonnie and Chuck Lingerfelt have created a garden with a rock waterfall that painstakingly blends native plants, winding grass walkways, and rock outcroppings amidst a blend of hardwoods.

A very different kind of garden with great variety and beauty belongs to Ken Pettit who explains, After many years of gardening in larger plots, the weeding turned into a real chore. Raised rock beds became my garden of choice. Seasonal vegetables and flower beds provide a haven for bees for pollination and encourage lady bugs that help control aphids.

A winding drive takes you into a woodland wonderland at the home of Linda and Kem Ketcham. Featured are two tiered lakes with a small waterfall surrounded by meadows filled with flowers during the different seasons.

Park-and-Ride is strongly encouraged, with locations clearly marked on maps available at Tryon Fine Arts Center and on the Art in Bloom website.

For information or to purchase tickets, call the Tryon Fine Arts Center at 828-859-8322 or visit the event website at www.art-in-bloom.org.