The Tryon Fine Arts Center in conjunction with The Daffy Jills, The Magnolia Garden Club, The Tryon Garden Club and The Green Blades Garden Club will present Art in Bloom, a celebration of artful gardens in the Carolina foothills on Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23.

Highlights for the weekend will be six private gardens on tour in the Tryon area on Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Each garden will be staffed with a master gardener and local artist that will be painting the landscapes.

On Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m., the Tryon Fine Arts Center will hold a reception Celebrating the Arts and Gardens with guest speaker Richard Webel of Innocenti & Webel. Prior to the reception, there will be a floral design workshop beginning at 2:30 p.m. Both events will be held at the Tryon Fine Arts Center.

The six gardens on tour are: Jo Ann and Marion McMillan of Ridge Top Road in Tryon; Ginny and Ed Rostick also of Ridge Top Road in Tryon; Ann Allen of Collinsville Road in Columbus; Linda and Kem Ketchum also of Collinsville Road in Columbus; Bonnie and Chuck Lingerfelt also of Collinsville Road in Columbus and Ken Pettit of Bessie Lane in Columbus.

Art in Bloom is a community wide event and we are so fortunate to have broad participation from all the local garden clubs, garden retail and wholesale shops, local merchants and the TFAC arts affiliates and the arts community, said Stuart Evans, co-chair for the event. Our collective goal beyond celebrating gardens as art and the natural beauty of our area is to work with the garden clubs to develop funding for pocket parks and public art throughout the Tryon, Landrum and Columbus communities.

Tickets for the garden tours on Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23 include refreshments and free parking and tickets for the reception Celebrating the Arts and Gardens on Sunday, May 23 include light appetizers and beverages. The Art and Garden Bazaar on Saturday, May 22 in downtown Tryon is free to the public.

For information to purchase tickets and for more information on Art in Bloom, call the Tryon Fine Arts Center at 828-859-8322 or visit the website at www.art-in-bloom.org.