Garden at John Ravenel House

One of Charleston's most elegant waterfront gardens is at the John Ravenel House built in 1848. This large, pink-stuccoed two-story piazza house above an arched first floor loggia was recently restored by the owners. The garden was mostly an asphalt parking lot with three trees before the garden was created by noted landscape Perry Guillot of Southhampton, New York.

The entrance is via a gate which opens onto a bluestone walkway surrounded by marble steps. A winding path shaded by ligustrums and gardenias leads to the doorway to the first floor glass enclosed loggia, which is punctuated by two large Italian terracotta pots overflowing with blue plumbago. The loggia and piazzas above face a large raised oval lawn reached by two bluestone steps. A bevy of sago palms stand guard on either side of the steps. A small gravel pathway edged by a boxwood hedge leads past a shrub border of mature ligustrums, palms, and magnolia trees, all of which were installed at the time the garden was recently designed. Interspersed among these specimen trees are white camellias. The vistas from the piazzas are breathtaking of the Charleston harbor with Fort Sumter in the distance. This simple design without flowers, except for blue plumbago cascading from five strategically placed Italian pots, provides a dramatic background for the house.

To the west of the main garden is a remodeled pool, from what is thought to be the first private pool South of Broad Street, and grass terrace surrounded by a high podocarpus hedge with an opening into the oval garden. Again, simplicity reigns. The gardens enhance the significant house presence and at the same time are commanding in their own peaceful way. This urban oasis has also led to a plethora of wonderful nature sounds from the cacophony of numerous bird species to the various frog sounds on summer nights.

Open Days 2023: Saturday, June 3
Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.