ELLOREE — In 2001, Cindy and Jack Lane of Elloree began restoring the Elloree Bed & Breakfast on Hampton Street, which is also their home. Situated on about three acres, the two-story colonial residence, originally the Rickenbaker home built in 1906, had been neglected, especially its spacious grounds.

Now, the elegant home is a successful bed-and-breakfast, but the grounds continue to be a work in progress, especially for Cindy Lane, president of the Elloree Garden Club.

“It was a jungle out there,” she said.“We began by clearing debris and pruning overgrown shrubs. Incredible treasures were discovered — old azaleas, camellias, wisteria, hydrangea, oleander and many other lovely Southern plants just waiting to be taken care of.”

To this day, Lane is still uncovering plants from the original garden, such as foxgloves and sunflowers.

The rewards of all the Lanes’ hard work have been many.

“Our yard always has plants blooming in every season, and our guests love to sit at our pool, our fish pond or elsewhere on the grounds and enjoy the tranquility and beauty of the surroundings,” Mrs. Lane said.

The pool area is lush with tropical plants, canna lilies, gardenias and ferns. Two large cactus plants started from babies have grown so large that they will soon have to be divided.

In front of the inn is an imposing angel trumpet plant, a gift that came from Biltmore Estates. Cindy Lane loves the plant because of the double blooms.

Jack Lane constructed an impressive gazebo in one area of the yard. In May, the gazebo was the scene of the inn’s first wedding.

“The bridal couple, who were from Michigan, called for a reservation only two days before they arrived, but I felt we had to arrange a memorable wedding for them,” Mrs. Lane said.

She began by asking the Rev. Fred Davis of the Elloree United Methodist Church to officiate at the ceremony. The Lanes then relocated potted ferns from their front porch to decorate the gazebo. For the bridal bouquet, Lane picked daisies, roses and daylilies from the yard, artfully arranged them and tied them with white lace.

Her husband baked the wedding cake, and they both served as attendants to the young couple.

“Since they were all by themselves, we invited several of our neighbors to be guests,” Mrs. Lane said. “It was a memorable event.”

Her green thumb is evident in her picture-perfect vegetable garden. The Lanes grow corn, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and herbs, such as parsley, basil and cilantro. They also inadvertently grow something that was a total surprise.

“We spread compost from our compost pile in the vegetable garden. One day I spotted cantaloupes among the other vegetables,” Lane said. “They have been appearing ever since from seeds that were originally in the compost pile.”

-- T&D Correspondent Shirley Upton can be reached by phone at 803-854-5009. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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