A membership-based gardening club is in the works for a 15-acre tract in Greenville County’s Piedmont area.
Ed and Sheila Lollis are working to get the unique concept off the ground, a business they said they hope will foster community and a love for things that grow.
Birch Leaf Gardens will feature 100 4-foot-by-8-foot elevated planter beds that members will lease, as well as a greenhouse, common areas, a refreshments stand, trails and an orchard and vineyard.
Eventually, they said they hope to host public events there, such as school trips, farmers markets and other gatherings.
Sheila Lollis said a copse of birch trees near the center of the property could serve as a natural amphitheater.
“We want it to be something in the future that will allow communities to come together and people to come together to just have a calm place to exist,” she said.
Ed and Sheila Lollis stand on the Greenville County property where they plan to establish a members-only garden club.
Conor Hughes/Staff
The Lollises are in the process of rezoning the property off Gunter Road to make way for the new club. In the meantime, Ed Lollis said grading has already begun, and he plans to begin building a fence and planting the orchard. If the rezoning goes smoothly, they said they hope to be open for business sometime next year.
The two bought the property earlier this year, and have already started developing a network of trails on the wooded portion of the land.
“Once you’re inside the property, it is really just a nice, calm, quiet area — really, really beautiful,” Ed Lollis said.
Both husband and wife have long cultivated a love for gardening, but said they’re preparing to embark on the process of securing their master gardener certifications. Once the club is up and running, they said they will host classes for members to share their knowledge.
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