Pearl Fryar Biography

The son of a sharecropper, Pearl Fryar was born in 1939 in Clinton, North Carolina.  His loving, deeply spiritual parents instilled in him a powerful work ethic, moral responsibility, and the importance of kindness to all.  A creative childhood encompassed barefoot summers, handmade toys and sports equipment, farm and pet animals, woodworking, and the experience of nature up close and personal.  Like his brother and sister, Pearl helped out on the farm “from about the time I could stand up.”  Contrary to the life-sustaining rural Southern custom of hunting for food, Pearl could not bear the killing of animals.  He loved the woods and open spaces.  “It was a good life,” he says to this day.

Attending North Carolina Central University in the 60’s, Pearl was active in civil rights demonstrations in Durham, NC.  He did an army tour of service in Korea.  He married his boyhood sweetheart Metra, and they lived in New York City.  Pearl credits his years in the “can do” environment of the Big Apple as defining moments for his multi-faceted life path.  He says without hesitation, “I would never have made my garden had it not been for living in New York.”

Pearl worked for American Can Company/Rexam for thirty-six years, including during the manufacturing transition from steel to aluminum.  While working full time and having moved to Bishopville, SC, he started his topiary garden.  He had no formal horticultural background.  His childhood penchant for trimming the homestead shrubs in interesting patterns had been frowned upon – then forty years later, he began unfettered pruning of trees and shrubs on his home property.  “I’m just a man who cuts up bushes,” Pearl says. The extraordinary transformation began with hundreds of plants, many excavated from nursery compost piles.

Pearl became known for his extraordinary three-acre handiwork.  He was photographed and journaled for newspapers and magazines, appeared on television, and spoke far and wide at gardens, galleries, and festivals.  The acclaimed documentary, A Man Named Pearl, charts his creative journey. He made a John Deere tractor commercial.  He attracted visitors by the thousands.

Pearl’s son Patrick has since his own boyhood, adopted the family trend of thrift and recycling, and he says, “Daddy is all over this garden.”  One does indeed sense the artist’s touch and presence throughout.  Mentor and loving life partner for more than half a century, Pearl’s wife Metra has witnessed his impassioned garden creation with admiration and deep understanding.  As First Lady of the Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden, she gives him all the credit.

Pearl’s garden is intentionally apolitical, and spiritually non-sectarian.  His message of “Love, Peace, and Goodwill” is a world citizenry gift and appeal.  Offering a special feeling of sanctuary and oasis, the garden’s living plant invocation is universal, transcending all differences among people and ideologies.  Pearl has always wanted his garden to remain free to all, retaining a self-contained, intimate presence amid a quiet semi-rural residential neighborhood.

In support of their post-high school education, Pearl has created a scholarship fund for “average” students in South Carolina.

From the humble wellspring of ancestral African-American roots, Pearl bears the torch of hard work, passion for life calling, and humility.  Regardless of fame, he has never compromised his strong values of simple living and exalted thinking.  Never tempted to be “bought or sold”, living modestly in simple abundance, Pearl considers himself richly blessed.  He views his life as service to family, Spirit, and community.  His garden is an enthusiastic offering to all.