The Transylvania Master Gardeners invite the community to an Open House at their demonstration gardens at Silvermont Park and Mansion on Thursday, July 10th, from 9:30 to 11:00 AM. This free event offers a unique opportunity to explore the Pollinator, Raised Bed, and Woodland Gardens, and learn directly from Master Gardener volunteers.
Visitors will have the chance to engage with experienced gardeners who will be on hand to discuss the featured gardens, answer questions, and offer insights into successful gardening practices in Transylvania County.
The Pollinator Demonstration Garden showcases a vibrant array of native perennial plants specifically chosen to attract and support local bees, butterflies, and other vital pollinators. Revamped in 2019, this garden now boasts an increased variety of native plants, a pathway, and a spiral stone "puddling" area for insects to drink. Mouse-eared coreopsis and golden Alexander kick off the bloom season in early May, and a host of other native perennials take over from there. In autumn, several varieties of aster and goldenrod are crowded with pollinators well into October.
Attendees can learn about the garden's winter management strategy, which includes leaving plant stems to overwinter to support nesting solitary bees and provide food for birds, and how this "untidy" approach benefits pollinators year-round. This garden is also an ideal spot to participate in the upcoming Great Southeast Pollinator Census on August 22-23, 2025, with information on this citizen science program available at the open house.
Adjacent to the Pollinator Garden is the Raised Bed Learning Garden, which demonstrates effective methods for growing edibles. This garden highlights how vegetables, herbs, and small fruits can thrive in raised beds, a particularly beneficial gardening style for Transylvania County. Sustainable practices, such as crop rotation and companion planting, are implemented to minimize disease, reduce pests, attract beneficial insects, and improve soil fertility. Produce harvested from this garden is donated to local organizations including Bread of Life, Sharing House, and The Haven.
Lastly, the Woodland Garden, nestled in a shaded corner of the Silvermont grounds, showcases native plants that flourish in partial and full shade. Originally an herb garden, it became too shaded for sun-loving herbs as the surrounding trees grew. As a result, it was transformed to demonstrate how groundcovers, herbaceous plants, shrubs, and canopy trees can replicate a natural forest environment. Visitors can observe spring ephemerals that bloom before the trees fully leaf out, and summer-flowering plants that thrive in the cool shade, including a central circular garden featuring a serene collection of mosses and ferns. The woodland garden has become a popular haven for many people who use the walking trail at Silvermont.
The demonstration gardens are located behind the Silvermont Mansion at 364 E Main St, Brevard. Ample parking is available at the property entrance; simply walk to the rear of the mansion to find the Master Gardeners ready to welcome you.
Mark Your Calendars! The next Master Gardener Demonstration Garden Open House will be held at the Pisgah National Forest Ranger Station on Monday, July 21st, from 9:30 to 11:00 AM.
For more information on these programs, please contact the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Transylvania County Center, at 828.884.3109 or visit them at 106 E. Morgan St., Suite 109, Brevard.
