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  The Sumter Master Gardeners have already begun digging in – literally, in preparation for Swan Lake and Iris Gardens’ annual Iris Festival Memorial Day weekend 2022. When Sumter Master Gardener, Sheryn LaVanish told me Tuesday afternoon that she would be going to their annual iris dig early the next morning, I   knew I had to be there to learn more about the iris I want to add to my pollinator bed.   I quickly threw some things in my car and hit the road   to watch these dedicated volunteers work at what they’ve been perfecting for decades.   And work they did! From Left to Right,  Pat Sakole, Sandi Strickland, Pat Petty, Marie Hill, Mary Jean Dowling, and Pat Kennedy working, but clearly also enjoying playing in the dirt at their assigned station. Jan Hilton, President of the Sumter Master Gardeners tried to find some shade in her quest to get as dirty as possible for the cause Nobody and nothing escaped the large amount of dirt slung that day (in a ...

  UPDATE 10/26/2022: A piece about Swan Lake's chocolate garden featuring MGs Sheryn Lavanish, their President, Jan Hilton and Fran Cecil aired on Columbia station wltx.  Go to https://www.wltx.com/video/news/local/street-squad/sumter/preparing-gardens-for-the-winter-months/ Article and Photos without Photoshop or AI by Penelope Penn   And the Secret is........... As a passionate wildlife photographer, I was drawn to the gardens in Sumter recently, and happily discovered that there's a lot more than swans, wildlife, and irises at this pristinely landscaped respite. This is what a Mute Swan looks like, after a hard days work at Swan Lake in Sumter, South Carolina.  Normally we're shown photos of pristine white, perfectly groomed swans.  The reality is though, feeding in murky nutrient rich water and tipping up to harvest vegetation from the mud on the bottom takes its toll on a bird's coiffure.  Sheryn LaVanish, certified Master Gardener South Carolina Maste...

                                         The promised beauty of Swan Lake Iris Gardens in Sumter, South Carolina lured me out from my long Covid isolation last week, and despite the surprises of the sudden gas shortage and an especially hearty rainstorm, it far exceeded my expectations. It’s promised to be “ home to some of the nation's most intensive plantings of Japanese iris” at https://www.sumtersc.gov/community/swanlake . To my surprise, all eight species of Swans inhabit the gardens.  I was ecstatic to discover that some have already hatched, like this little cygnet and its Black Swan parents who brought their newborn out to get acquainted with it's new home. Judging from all the nesting birds and a bit of fowl canoodling that I witnessed this past week, visitors can anticipate seeing more new things emerging than the beautiful flowers and Japanese Iris that appear to be r...