Dum Spiro Spero.
While I breathe, I hope.
~ South Carolina, State Motto
In Bishopville, South Carolina resides an unlikely gardener. No, not just a gardener. An artist.
Pearl Fryar did not have a background in horticulture.
He was the son of a cotton sharecropper.
He didn’t have the best material.
He salvaged plants that had been thrown on the scrap pile in the back of the local nursery.
He had no formal training in creating topiaries.
Although he did have a 3-minute demonstration once.
He didn’t have community support.
When he moved to Bishopville, one white neighborhood wouldn’t welcome him because they said he wouldn’t keep up his yard.
He didn’t let obstacles stop him.
He showed them by winning the “Yard of the Month” award from the Bishopville Iris Garden Club.
Pearl had a dream. And what he created is a three-acre sculpted garden that will take your breath away. Pearl explains:
“Gardening books will tell you that some of these things in my garden can’t be done, but I had never read them when I got started.
Not knowing ahead of time that something is supposed to be impossible often makes it possible to achieve.
I didn’t have any limitations because I really didn’t know anything about horticulture. I just figured I could do whatever I wanted with any plant I had.”
Of course, it wasn’t always easy for Pearl. He knows what it’s like to be poor.
Be shunned.
Be without.
He asks, “When the going gets tough, what will you do?” His answer, “Well, you don’t let the obstacles determine where you’re going to go.”
Truer words have never been spoken.
Pearl’s ability to do a common task in an uncommon way has put the tiny town of Bishopville on the map. He’s been featured in the New York Times, CBS, PBS, and in many other outlets. His work is showcased throughout the state. Tour buses pull up to his home. Few serious gardeners haven’t heard his name. He uses his fame to encourage and influence young people to fulfill their potential.
Pearl set his own course, followed his dream, and never let the obstacles determine where he was going.
If Pearl could do it, why not you?
Whatever you are, be a good one!
Deanna
Whatever You Are, Be a Good One 