The Tryon Fine Arts Center will present Art in Bloom, a celebration of gardens in the Carolina foothills on Saturday, May 22, and Sunday, May 23, which features a Garden and Art Bazaar on Saturday.

Shoppers and art and garden enthusiasts will flock to downtown Tryon on Saturday morning to the Garden and Art Bazaar. The Bazaar is free to the public and will feature over 20 vendors selling art, garden items and variety of plants all to benefit the Arts & Parks project for the Carolina foothills area. The Arts & Parks project is a partnership with the Tryon Fine Arts Center and The Daffy Jills, The Magnolia Garden Club, The Tryon Garden Club and The Green Blades Garden Club.

The Bazaar will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. McCown Street in downtown Tryon will be transformed into an oasis of plants for sale by local growers and nurserymen. Over 6,000 square feet of vendor space will allow for hundreds of plants ready for Carolina landscapes. Thompson Landscaping and Bravo Interior Design will be on Palmer Street with a large exhibition of outdoor furniture and other interesting items.

Vendors are: Beddingfield Tree Farm, Charles Street Gardens, Big Frog Nursery, Crescent Growers, Carolina Plants, Owens Orchids, A Growing Concern, Cooper Riis, Tryon Mountain Hardware, Timberbrook Greenhouses, Architectural Warehouse, Chris Carroll, Rustic Remakes, Saluda Forge, Thompson Landscaping, The Book Shelf, Tryon Farmers Market, Kathleens, and Bravo.

Partial list of plants to be sold are: Orchids, Japanese Water Iris, Knock Out Roses, Green Giant Arborvitae, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Aucuba, Hybrid Rhododendron, Hybrid Mountain Laurel, Japanese Maple, Boxwoods, Hybrid Rhododendron, Hybrid Mountain Laureland Abelia.

Shoppers will be able to talk with the growers and learn more about the plants they are purchasing, said John Vining, coordinator for the Bazaar. Best of all, a percentage of every plant sold will go towards the Arts & Parks project that will further beautify our area with garden parks and public art, added Vining.

The Foothills Humane Society will also have Garden Buddies pets ready for adoption. The Tryon Fine Arts Center will have representatives selling tickets, providing information about local restaurants and shops for our visitors. Visit the Tryon Garden Club at their Depot Garden and The Green Blades at their park on Trade to buy tickets, learn about their projects, and sit awhile on one of their benches.

Other highlights for the Art in Bloom weekend feature six private gardens on tour in the Tryon area on Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23 from 11 am until 3pm. Each garden will be staffed with a master gardener and local artist that will be painting the landscapes.

On Sunday afternoon at 4pm, 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 2:30pm. Both events will be held at TFAC.

Tickets for the garden tours on Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23 are $20 per person and include refreshments and free parking and tickets for the reception Celebrating the Arts and Gardens on Sunday, May 23 are $20 and include appetizers and beverages.

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: www.art-in-bloom.org.