KidFest and Seven Topiaries to Watch for at the Festival of Flowers

When the SC Festival of Flowers kicks off every June, there’s plenty of excitement, including KidFest, sporting events, arts, music, food and, of course, topiaries. A big part of the festival fun is spotting the changes to the charming, whimsical topiaries that line Greenwood’s streets.

While the main weekend of events is June 10-11, 2022, the topiaries hit the streets of Uptown Greenwood at the beginning of June, and stay on display through July 11. Other events are kicking off in early June, with a special Dinosaur Discovery exhibit opening June 1 at The Museum and a juried art exhibit at the Art Center of Greenwood running from June 9 – August 11. Other events include a juried arts and craft show, a wine tasting, beer garden, several sporting events and a KidsFest on June 11. Greenwood Community Theatre kicks off its production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella with performances June 10-19. A car show, Railroad Historical Center tours and garden symposium and other events round out the fun.

The topiary team encourages visitors to get up close to examine the details and post for photographs, but that also means the elaborate displays experience some wear and tear, not only handled by children but also pecked at by birds, who often carry away bits and pieces for their nests.

City of Greenwood horticulturist Amber Nappier is part of the team that has been hard at work sprucing up these much loved creatures to keep them beautiful and interesting.

A Horse of a Different Color

There have been changes, some minor and some big, Amber says. The goal in recent years has been to make everything vibrant and filled with color. Beginning last year, the team also focused on making the bases more colorful to blend in with the landscape.

The camera that many visitors recall has been retired and the metal frame reused for a different kind of photo op. A brand-new Gateway to Greenwood topiary makes its debut this year, with an archway of petunias designed to be the perfect photo spot for visitors. It’s a living photo booth, sponsored once again by Fujifilm, where visitors can have their picture taken and printed while they wait. Multiple colors and varieties of petunias stand out against a moss background, with a ficus lining, a curtain of silver ponyfoot, and plumes and tufts of potato plant and red rooster sedge.

The popular Jeep is one item that got a complete makeover in 2021. “The Jeep was completely torn apart. By that I mean we literally sawed off all of the pieces and put them back together again,” Amber says. “It is one of the originals so we had to fix some pieces with welding due to rust. It is now looking more rugged and modern, with brand-new doors and more succulents!”

The always-beautiful mermaid also received a glam makeover last year. “She’s looking gorgeous,” Amber says. “Instead of everything on her just being green, everything is more defined, and we made sure we made her best features POP! I really am proud of her—she’s probably my favorite.”

University of South Carolina fans have been especially thrilled with last year’s complete redo of Gamecock. The horticulturists pulled out all of the base materials and irrigation system and replaced the moss and other plantings in his “hard to reach spots.”  He usually has a large ladder that allows horticulturists to check his tail feathers to be sure the moss stays moist.

“He’s huge,” Amber says of the Gamecock, and he has a complicated irrigation system. “It took me days to even figure out—it seemed like it went on forever. He also usually takes hours to be trimmed.” Another complicated topiary is the Bearcat, a tribute to Lander University. “We had to completely tear him down, too.”

“Just about everything has been changed one way or another,” Amber says. Most of the topiaries will be moved to different locations as well.

The elephants—mom and baby—have more adornments this year for a real royal Indian elephant style, and the butterfly has a new design on its wings. “The turtles are way more fun and super vibrant and multicolored, less realistic than they have been,” she says, and, “I don’t want to give too much away, but the horse is a different color, with pink spots, and has a horn this year.”

Training the Next Generation

Greenwood has become so identified with its spectacular topiaries that the horticulture department has begun training a new generation of horticulturists in area schools. As part of the science curriculum, before the pandemic, Amber and other horticulture team members began visiting schools in February or March, taking along a topiary for instruction. After a brief talk, the students help plant the topiary and ask questions about the process.

When COVID-19 sent students into virtual classes the horticulture department made  use of a virtual education grant received from the Self Family Foundation. Using recording gear paid for by the grant, “We started working closely with District 50’s Johnathan Graves,” Amber says. “He came into the greenhouse and recorded six videos.” The videos, explaining irrigation, mossing and planting topiaries, beneficial insects, and propagation, were posted to the school system’s Youtube account. Students watched the videos, and teachers scheduled live virtual Q&A sessions with one of our horticulture staff (usually Amber). Those sessions usually included a tour of two of the city’s greenhouses.

“I hate that they are missing the hands-on experience,” Amber says, “but they have more time for questions and they get to actually see us work in real time.”

Others can learn something from the videos as well, with YouTube videos like these on how to prep a topiary and how to make a jellyfish.

With the instructional plan in place and a new generation of horticulturists learning to carry the torch, Greenwood is set to keep topiaries growing and charming visitors and residents for many years to come.

In the meantime, children can get in on the fun at the Festival of Flowers Kidfest, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Uptown Market, with rides, arts and crafts, and a slate of performances, including a high-energy show by Mark Lippard and animal education events by the South Carolina Aquarium. There will be robotics, complimentary rides on the Carolina Choo-Choo Train, mural coloring and a firetruck to entertain the little ones. There will also be a USTA Tennis Experience and other demonstrations.