Today, as part of our occasional series visiting great public gardens, Kevin Kelly is taking us to Wayne, Pennsylvania, just northwest of Philadelphia, to visit a truly spectacular garden.
I recently made a trip to visit Chanticleer in Wayne, Pennsylvania. The Chanticleer estate was the country retreat of Adolph and Christine Rosengarten and was built in 1913. The garden opened to the public in 1993. There are seven horticulturalists, each responsible for the design, planting, and maintenance of certain areas of the garden. The areas change greatly from year to year, which keeps up the excitement and desire for frequent visits. They reuse, recycle, and compost. This is a beautiful garden to visit and has been my inspiration garden for my own home garden. Here are a few pictures.
The Teacup Garden is named for the signature fountain that is the focal point. The plantings around the fountain change annually.
Here’s a beautiful example of good design, using layering, texture, and color echoes.
Opuntia (prickly pear cactus, Zones 5–10) grows on the border of the gravel garden.
The gravel garden was still showing wonderful color and texture well into October.
This fun and somewhat “creepy” fountain is located within the Ruin Garden.
These chairs are made by staff members at Chanticleer from wood collected within the garden. They usually work on projects like this during the winter when the garden is closed to the public.
Every day the staff collects fresh blooms to layer on the water in this container. There is seating around this bowl, which makes it a wonderful place to sit.
This water feature is in a courtyard behind the main house.
This Colocasia ‘Pharoah’s Mask’ (Zones 7–10) is stunning.
This is one of several interconnected ponds that make up the pond garden and can be easily viewed from the higher elevation of the main house.
A Muhlenbergia capillaris (Pink Muhly grass, Zones 5–9) is beautifully backlit.
Comments
Wonderful photos Kevin. Thanks for risking your life to provide us with a beautiful respite, please do take care.
Oh, how I would love to get my hands on a Pharaoh's Mask! Chanticleer is such a fabulous garden. Thanks for the tour!
It is on my list to seek out next year. It was stunning.
You could let every GPOD reader into Chanticleer with a camera and we could have stunning images for the whole year! When their season ends at the end of October, you start yearning for opening day in March when some new and unanticipated changes remind us that this is a (worldwide) gardener’s destination to be revisited as often as possible
I try to get to Chanticleer about 5 times per year (about a 90 minute drive for me). This is my favorite garden of all time, and has inspired me to be a better designer of my own garden. This garden should be on everyones bucket list.
I have visited Chanticleer twice, rver from California, and have wandered through this favorite garden of mine, just magical. I had a beautiful book of Chanticleer that I loved looking at and reading of the garden’s philosophy, so unique. Alas, when my home and garden burned to the ground in a Northern California wildfire, I lost that book but do have wonderful, thanks to digital, saved photos…
So sorry to hear about your home. I can't imagine losing all the things we treasure and have fond memories of. Hopefully your family was safe.
Chanticleer is such an amazing garden. I love that the staff gardeners are permitted to make changes to the garden so it is not a garden "frozen in time".
Great pics, Kevin. Love those chairs!
They have many gorgeous chairs, benches, bridges and railings that are hand-crafted and are real works of art.
Thanks for the fabulous virtual tour Kevin! It’s been on my bucket list forever.
One of these days you will have to take the plunge.
That is a very impressive public garden, it has such a personal touch & attention to details that it feels private!
So many unusual plants and fabulous fountains & water features!
Thanks for sharing your photos of this garden!
That does it, I definitely need to visit. I haven't been to Philadelphia in many years, but I recall there being several wonderful gardens in the general area.
Longwood Gardens is nearby - a huge Dupont estate with areas of amazing gardens, Indoor conservatories, The most extravagant display of laminated fountains , topiary, formal Italian gardens, a striking meadow. Tha's an all dy visit on its own. Restaurant, gift shop, and busloads of tourists
About 30 minutes away is Swarthmore College whose campus is Scott Arboretum, with other extraordinary series of garden collections.
Wow - what a place! And what a talented staff to be able to make things like those beautiful chairs in the off season. Stunning. Thank you so much for sharing these great photos!
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