Stewards of the garden

Take a tour of the Lowcountry's most visited monastic garden, and feast on a property full of Southern legends.

Turn off the quiet country road onto the ancient allee of long-armed live oaks that lead to Mepkin Abbey, and you'll find a garden fertile with Southern stories.

Hugging the Cooper River in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, north of Charleston, this serene land's latest tale involves the Trappist monks who are giving the area a timeless gift. Once owned by publisher and philanthropist Henry R. Luce and his wife, the Honorable Clare Boothe Luce, the site was donated to the Catholic church in 1949. Today the monks who live here serve as stewards of this magnificent property.

"We want to encapsulate the various histories of the people who have lived on this property," Brother Stan Gumula explains. "We're taking what is here and celebrating the people, their stories, and the plants that surrounded them during those periods."

One of the first owners of Mepkin Plantation was Henry Laurens, French Huguenot merchant, botanist, and participant in the American Revolution. He cultivated the fertile river basin and developed the land into flourishing ricefields. Future plans for his homesite include gardens illustrating the relationship between South Carolina's native plants and those introduced by European settlers. "There will be a heavy emphasis on native plants," Brother Stan explains. "We want to maintain and reintroduce the heritage of natives that are so important to this area."

The legacy of Henry and Clare Boothe Luce centers around a majestic live oak standing sentinel on high ground, with terraced gardens ambling down to the river's edge. Designed by South Carolina landscape architect Loutrell Briggs, this is thought to be his largest garden outside Charleston city limits. This time of year brings the fragrance of sweet warming earth and the blooms of carmine camellias from the Luces' era; their philanthropic history continues through these elegant blossoms.

"We must also honor the monastic heritage here," Brother Stan says. "This is a living community and a vital part of the ongoing story." On a warm spring day, you might encounter several bicycling brothers decked out in jeans and sweatshirts, heading from one garden to the next to tend old azaleas or newly planted flowers. Or you may hear the sound of a small tractor moving compost from one shed to another. Another brother is maintaining the garden's organic brew.

A flourishing fresh egg business provides income for the abbey's sustenance. An offshoot of the enterprise is the organic chicken-compost garden "tea," appropriately named Earth Healer. As gardeners dedicated to nurturing the land, the brothers developed this water-soluble garden potion and use it throughout the property. They also package it for homeowners who prefer a natural approach in their own gardens.

This spring, enter the comforting world of Mepkin Abbey. Stroll through this historic property, and share the stories of the land.

ELLEN RILEY

Mepkin Abbey: 1098 Mepkin Abbey Road, Moncks Corner, SC 29461; (843) 761-8509 or www.mepkin abbey.org. Hours: The gardens are open 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily, and visitors may also tour the monastic village and the church at 11 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

MAKE A DAY OF IT

While you're in the area, here are some other gardens you may want to visit.

Magnolia Plantation and Its Gardens: State 61, Charleston; (843) 571-1266,1-800-3673517, or www.magnoliaplanta tion.com. Established in the 1680s, this is one of South Carolina's greatest treasures.

Middleton Place: State 61, Charleston; (843) 556-6020, 1-800-782-3608, or www. middletonplace.org. Some of America's oldest camellias are grown here.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Mar 2002
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