Nestled among fields of corn and soybeans, this dynamic 60 acre garden is set in the rural Pee Dee region near Lake City, South Carolina. Embracing its southern pastoral setting through an informal, expressive design scheme, the garden is a careful blend of exuberant plant displays, bounding meadows and enduring vistas of grey green pines. Woven throughout this aesthetic tapestry are innovative research, educational programs and community outreach. The resulting union of art and scholarship is a dazzling example of the modern botanical garden.

The garden was founded in 2002 by South Carolina native Darla Moore, who sought to prove that her family’s ancestral croplands could be transformed into a place of beauty, and an example of horticultural excellence.

As her garden grew, so did Ms. Moore’s vision for the future of the property. Soon she began to see the potential of the garden as a place for horticultural research and education, and as a place of enjoyment for visitors. Moreover, she saw that the garden could become a source of pride for the people of her hometown and home state. The garden, she determined, would become a gift to the ages – an enrichment to the lives of others.

Located in Lake City, South Carolina, the mission of Moore Farms is to promote research and education in horticulture, agriculture, and forestry for the benefit of the people of South Carolina and beyond. In keeping with the mission of Moore Farms, the development and cultivation of conifers was a natural fit. Plantings of Taxodium, native Juniperus, and Pinus palustris highlight the conifers in our vast collection, and offer an extension of southern heritage plants to the garden. The collection currently represents almost 200 different species and cultivars.

Today, a visitor to Moore Farms Botanical Garden will find a garden that is mature beyond its years, and spectacular in its variation of design features and plant species. This diverse wonderland now thrives in soil that was once carpeted with row crops.

Moore Farms Botanical Garden is wildly beautiful, creative, and soulful; a place of both inspiration and comfort, where plants rule and there is a feeling of discovery, a sense of hitting upon something that others haven’t.