\u201cSometimes I feel like my own roots go way down in the earth,\u201d said Harriet Charles, owner of South Gate Design and lover of all growing things. Demand for her elegant, intuitive designs, and spots in her workshops keep Harriet busy \u2013 and she enjoys every minute, energized by the soil, the flowers, the sun \u2013 and her deep connection with the natural world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harriet and her husband of 43 years, John, have three children, and she described them to me by the plants they love. \u201cOur oldest, Julia, loves succulents, our middle child, Lillian, loves flowers and our youngest, Austin, has his apartment filled with plants.\u201d All three children grew up in Myrtle Beach, graduated from Socastee High School, and they all now live in Atlanta. Describing her husband, Harriet simply said, \u201c John is a physician, loves to fly, read and is the love of my life. He supports me in everything I do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ironically, even though Harriet\u2019s life is completely enveloped in flowers, that wasn\u2019t the original plan. \u201cI was born in Florence and raised on a farm. Obviously, planting, growing, harvesting were always topics of conversation. My dad had a TV show for farmers, \u2018Southeastern Almanac.\u2019 My mother grew vegetables and flowers, and there was never a day she didn\u2019t have a vase of flowers on the table. My dad loved to have flowers on the table in his office. I come from people who love flowers and nature and beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After high school Harriet first attended USC in Columbia, but, being young and restless, she decided to move to Washington DC where she finished college and received her Masters in speech-language pathology from George Washington University. Following graduation she worked with head injured and stroke patients in a hospital setting. After meeting and marrying John, who grew up in the military, the couple moved around while John himself was in the military and attending medical school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harriet and John moved to Myrtle Beach 30 years ago to be closer to their families. After moving into her home in Briarcliffe Acres, Harriet spent a great deal of her free time working in the yard. \u201cIn 2000 I had a wedding reception at our house for two wonderful friends. The reception spilled out in the yard, and folks liked what they saw and asked if I could help them with their yards \u2013 that\u2019s when I started South Gate Design.\u201d The name and Harriet\u2019s original logo comes from an iron gate she had made 20 years ago for her home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI consult with clients, tell them what will grow well in their yards, help them create a design, buy the plants, and place them where they belong. Then, either the client or their landscapers do the actual planting.\u201d Harriet has done extensive, ongoing training through the years, but, in 2015, she attended a workshop in Washington State led by well-known flower farmer, Erin Benzakein that inspired her to create what is now her favorite part of her work. \u201cIt was a three day workshop with a small group of 20 or so people from all over the world.\u201d The group discussed floral industry practices, did floral design, and picked flowers from Erin\u2019s incredible flower fields to make arrangements. \u201cIt was the most magical thing I\u2019ve ever done in my life!\u201d said Harriet, still excited about the experience. \u201cWe worked in a 100 year old barn, and the people who attended, and Erin\u2019s team, were amazing. During the first floral design segment, I turned to the people near me, and said, \u2018I\u2019m going to conduct workshops.\u2019 It\u2019s a way to step away from what you do normally and just be creative.\u201d I asked Harriet if participants need to have experience in floral arranging. \u201cAbsolutely not \u2013 I can teach anyone to make a pretty arrangement \u2013 no one has left with a bad arrangement yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harriet\u2019s workshops are a feast for the senses, with beautiful, tasty food and gorgeous flowers to arrange. \u201cIn the workshops I concentrate on how to make a floral arrangement \u2013 it\u2019s a relaxing, meditative experience. It\u2019s hard to concentrate on your to-do list when you\u2019re working with flowers \u2013 and it\u2019s fun!\u201d Mothers and daughters, friends, family groups and even people from out of town that have seen Harriet\u2019s work on Instagram fill her workshops. \u201cSome are held at our family farm in Florence. I am planning the next one to be held there in May.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnyone can make a beautiful arrangement to enjoy at home,\u201d Harriet told me when I asked for some flower arranging tips. \u201cGrocery stores have beautiful flowers these days, just look for a mixed bouquet, or splurge and buy three different types of floral bouquets, each with a different flower. Better yet, go to a nursery and buy a flowering plant that you can put in the ground after you snip the blooms.\u201d Harriet said to arrange the flowers to look like they do in a garden \u2013 a little wild and organic. \u201cDon\u2019t make a ball; nothing is the same height in nature. It\u2019s okay to have something pop out of the top and trail out of the vase. And always use greenery \u2013 if you have camellias, gardenias, or azaleas in your yard, cut the greenery for your arrangement.\u201d She added another tip \u2013 look for seasonal flowers as the focal point \u2013 roses in the summer, mums in the fall, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harriet does a couple of smaller weddings each year, and shared her thoughts on planning the bride\u2019s bouquet. \u201cBased on the colors the bride wants to use, we then decide on the shape of the bouquet based on the bride\u2019s body type. A small person doesn\u2019t need to carry a large bouquet.\u201d Harriet will ask the bride about her favorite flowers to get an idea of her focus. \u201cI always tell them, I\u2019ll get your flower choices if they are available, but even if I have to make substitutions, it will still have the feel you\u2019re looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
South Gate Design is not Harriet\u2019s only business \u2013 and as you might guess, her other endeavor also involves roots and blooms. \u201cFor 30 years my three sisters and I have been in business with the founders of Forest Lake Greenhouses, Tim & Lisa King. Recently my son and nephew became involved as well. At Forest Lake Greenhouses in Florence, we grow mostly blooming plants, from poinsettias for the holidays to poppies, begonias, hydrangeas, petunias, and many more in the spring. Right now there are eight greenhouses bursting with plants.\u201d Continuing, Harriet said, \u201cI work at the greenhouses a few days a week now. Several times a day customers will exclaim that Forest Lake Greenhouses is their happy place! It is a joy to spend time around all the tropical plants, the succulents, the baskets of mixed flowers and all the blooming plants. It is a sight to see!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Harriet takes her hands out of the dirt, she loves photography, taking photos of her arrangements and most anything unusual and beautiful that interests her. She\u2019s also diligent about keeping her mind and body strong and healthy, working with a personal trainer a couple of times a week and taking yoga classes before the sun comes up. \u201cI also love traveling \u2013 near and far. I love all types of field trips, from seeing how a cannery operates to visiting art museums. The world is a fascinating place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve always been in awe of flowers. There is an otherworldly quality to blooms, perfection in every stage of their growth. I asked Harriet, someone who works with flowers daily, to talk about her connection. \u201cSomeone asked me if I talk to the flowers \u2013 or if the flowers talk to me? I said yes to both \u2013 if you ask a flower where it belongs in an arrangement and pay attention to its structure, the flower will tell you where it\u2019s supposed to go.\u201d Harriet continued thoughtfully, saying, \u201cOf course, I love beautiful, thriving, gorgeous blooms but I often keep them and watch them wither \u2013 I have a whole bowl of flowers that I\u2019ve kept because they are so gorgeous in all phases of life. As they grow old they shrink \u2013 wither a bit and fade, but are still so lovely in an entirely different way, just like all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Flowers speak to my soul. If anyone is having a bad day and gets close to nature they can have a better day,\u201d Harriet said as we ended our chat. \u201cBeing around flowers, I don\u2019t have many bad days but if you are feeling down, take off your shoes and go outside \u2013 there\u2019s so much beauty there that we just rush past all the time! Slowly walk around and closely observe the details in nature. In my mind, nature has restorative powers of which we can all take advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To learn more about Harriet\u2019s work, including when her next workshop is scheduled, visit www.harrietcharles.com, or find her on Facebook, on Instagram @southgatedesignand also @forestlakegreenhouses.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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