Fourth Annual Erskine Flower & Garden Show 

Erskine College, located in the serene academic village of Due West, is South Carolina’s oldest four-year church-related college. The campus is included on the National Register of Historic Places and has repeatedly been listed as one of the most beautiful Christian campuses in America (onlinechristiancolleges.com). Erskine’s president, Dr. Steve Adamson, and his wife Von have a vision for enhancing that beauty and developing the campus into a botanical delight that can be enjoyed by the college as well as visitors to Due West.

Now in its fourth year, the Flower & Garden Show is pleased to partner with the Abbeville Ag + Art Tour, expanding our offerings and further embracing our home community. Events on Saturday, May 16, include a wide variety of hands-on gardening and art workshops and an extensive vendor fair.

FREE!

Andre Michaux: The Forgotten French Botanist Who Courted Thomas Jefferson and Got Pulled Into a Scandal

A one-man dramatic presentation by Steve Clark

André Michaux (1746–1802) was a French botanist and explorer whose pioneering plant collecting and botanical research greatly expanded European knowledge of North American flora. He developed an early interest in botany that was encouraged by his studies at the Jardin du Roi in Paris (now the Jardin des Plantes).

In 1785, sponsored by the French government, Michaux traveled to the United States to gather useful plants that might be cultivated in France for timber, medicine, and agriculture. He established botanical gardens in New Jersey and near Charleston, South Carolina, which served as bases for his extensive explorations. Over the next decade, he journeyed thousands of miles through difficult and often dangerous terrain, from Florida to Canada and west to the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River, collecting and documenting hundreds of previously undescribed species.

Today, Michaux is remembered as one of the most important early botanists of North America, with several plant species bearing the name michauxii in his honor.

Floral Flair – Bring your own fresh flower arrangement to the Bowie Arts Center and help create an indoor flower garden for event guests to enjoy! A prize will be awarded for the crowd favorite.

Plant Swap – Bring a plant, swap it for another, make some new friends!

Silent Auction

Bamboo 101 – Aaron McCarty – Learn some of the many uses of this often misunderstood plant

Growing Cold Hardy Citrus – Michael Turner, Horticulturist

Clemson Extension

Lakelands Master Gardeners – Advice on all things gardening-related

The 2026 vendor list will be updated frequently until May 4th.

Carolina Bamboo – Bamboo products & artwork

Chickasaw Creek Farm – Homemade ice cream

Due West Of Diddly Squat – Greenhouse gardens

Fralick Farms

Normandia Blooms – Hand-painted cards, tea towels, and artwork

Patricia Anne Garrett – jewelry & wreaths

Pond House Totes & Crossbody Bags – Handcrafted totes and crossbody bags

Savannah’s Greenhouse – Locally grown plants

Swartzentruber’s Bakery – Fresh baked goods

Food Trucks:

More details coming soon!

Other Food Vendors:

More details coming soon!

More details coming soon!

Please click the button below and fill out the interest form by Monday, May 4, 2026, if you would like to sell merchandise at Erskine’s Flower & Garden Show. Once you have filled out the form, we will be in touch. The cost for vendors is $45 for an outdoor space and $50 for an indoor space. (Indoor spaces are limited.) 

Contact Paul Bell for vendor-related questions: paul.bell@erskine.edu. NOTE: Merchandise must be of high quality and related to gardening.

Thank you for your interest in Erskine’s Flower & Garden Show!

Did you know that you can contribute to the beautification of Erskine’s campus? By donating to the Flower & Garden Show, your gifts grow our gardener in residence fund and support initiatives that enhance Erskine’s natural beauty.