The Tryon Garden Club Civic Beautification Committee maintains the Tryon Depot Garden located at the corner of Pacolet and Depot streets. The Garden Club has maintained the Garden since the 1940s. The 1906 Tryon Train Depot, adjacent to the Garden, was used when the train was active in the area. The Depot was renovated in 2010 and is now used for private business as well as public functions.

 

The Depot Garden is part of the Tryon parks system. Many of the plantings are labeled to help visitors learn about the diversity of the shrubs, perennials and annuals. One can enjoy a relaxing break on one of the comfortable benches overlooking Trade Street. A new lighting system now allows visitors to enjoy the garden after sunset.

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The Garden Club’s Civic Beautification Committee has been concentrating for the last 3 years on adding native plants and shrubs to the garden. A native rock garden can be found in the garden’s center island bed. Many of the plants and rocks were brought from the Pearson’s Fall’s property when an area was cleared to make a sidewalk from the garden house to the restrooms. Our projects have been generously supported by Kirby Endowment Grants through the Polk County Community Foundation. The split rail fence on the railroad side of the garden was partially paid for by the Town of Tryon with remaining funds coming from the Kirby Grant Fund. A recent grant from the Polk County Appearance Commission, which serves under the authority of the Polk County Board of Commissioners, helped the club purchase additional lighting for the garden. 

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The Garden has recently been awarded a Monarch Butterfly Waystation designation and is listed in the International Monarch Butterfly Waystation Registry. The garden qualifies as a place that creates and protects monarch habitat in downtown Tryon.  Plants that provide food for larva and butterflies include Butterfly Weed, Phlox, Daisy, Goldenrod, Aster, Cosmos, Violet, Purple Coneflower, Joe Pye Weed, Scarlet Sage, Tithonia and Zinnia. Shrubs include Butterfly Bush, Native Rose, Spicebush and Blueberry. An International Monarch Waystation sign is now installed in the garden to hopefully remind visitors of the need to conserve habitats and nurture area butterflies and encourage visitors to create their own monarch habitat.