On a recent visit to Pennsylvania, I visited two world class gardens–Longwood Gardens, which I covered in a post two weeks ago, and Chanticleer. Trying to compare these two extraordinary places or pick a favourite would be like trying to choose between Cabernet Sauvignon and Champagne. In my world, it can’t be done. They’re two very different but equally glorious experiences.

Chanticleer, A Pleasure Garden–the full, official name of the place–is located in the Wayne-St. Davids area just west of Philadelphia, and was once the home of the Rosengarten family in the mid-1920’s. There are two houses within the garden, both closed to the public, offering elegant backdrops for to-die-for patios and terraces. Usually one of the houses serves as a starting point for visitors to immerse themselves in mind-blowing gardening.

The Teacup Garden

The house shown above and immediately below was built as a wedding gift for the Rosengarten’s daughter. The patio at the rear of the house (as seen in both photos) is called the Teacup Garden. I must admit, it took me awhile to actually see the teacup. My eyes were like saucers, though, taking in this lush, tropical oasis. This is in Pennsylvania!?!?

If you’re having the same difficulty as I did trying to find the teacup, the photo below makes it easier to spot. It’s the large, cup-and-saucer-shaped water feature flanked by the two bright blue water-filled urns.

The glamorous terrace

The main Chanticleer House and Terraces were built earlier in 1913 as a summer home. Later, the family lived here year-round starting in 1924. I imagine if Jay Gatsby had more of an interest in gardens, he’d be strolling a terrace like this, chilled martini firmly in hand.

The only way to describe this spot would be to imagine a cross between a Mediterranean villa and a mansion somewhere in the Caribbean. Lush plantings of palms and succulents were cushioned by shrubs, perennials, annuals and vines, all laden with colourful flowers.

BTW: If you’re a big fan of hanging baskets, you’ll want to linger here awhile. So many marvellous combinations to inspire a hanging container planting of your own back home.

At one end of the house is an open seating area you can enter from the terrace (below, right). Complete with fireplace and stone floor, this luxurious enclave is really simply a covered porch. But what a porch! The chairs are arranged so you can sit in the cool shade and enjoy the views of sweeping lawns and large island beds–the next part of your garden exploration.

Beyond the main terrace flanking the back of the house are a series of short promenades that lead you past colourful beds of flowers, shrubs and edibles (I’m loving Swiss Chard and Fennel as ornamentals) as well as a swimming pool framed at either end by charming turquoise-roofed bathing pavilions. You can just make out the roofs in the photos below.

Extraordinary shapes and textures

Chanticleer has plenty of flowers to catch the eye but it’s the masterful juxtaposition of trees and shrubs that really stand out. Everywhere you look is a feast of textures and organic shapes. I love the surprising plant (I think it’s a yucca) that spangles like a starburst in the centre right of the photo below.

Even a simple grassy area (above right) is delightfully accented. Random alliums, their seedbeds looking like small sparklers, punctuate the meadowy lawn.

After strolling through a shady woodland area, the path leads you to a koi pond rimmed with brightly coloured flowers (below).

The extraordinary gravel garden

Of all the shockingly beautiful spaces within Chaticleer, I found the Gravel Garden to be the most beautiful. I’d take a few steps and try to take it all in, then take a few more steps and try again to wrap my head around its beauty. Here’s a quick video (below) to give you an idea.

Grasses, flowers, shrubs, and desert plants are planted to painterly effect.

Bright orange butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) and blue delphiniums (Consolida ajacis) add colourful accents to the undulating grasses, including Peruvian feathergrass (Javara ichu), feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’) and Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima). Yuccas and columnar evergreens add linear contrast.

Some of the plants I recognized, but a lot I didn’t, like Bighead knapweed (Centaurea macrocephala) a type of thistle with big, bright yellow flower heads, Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium), adding lacy clusters of white at knee height, and a rare, native honeysuckle vine (Lonicera reticulata ‘Kintzley’s Ghost’), seen in the lower right part of the photo below. This vine has wonderfully fragrant showy yellow flowers but they had already come and gone by the time we arrived so what we saw (to great advantage, I think) were the amazing silver-blue circular bracts that frame each bloom.

I could’ve spent the rest of the day watching the flowers and grasses sway subtly from the gentle breeze.

This garden has too many wonderful sights to cram into one post. So stay tuned! I have lots more photos of Chanticleer and some visitors tips in my post next week.

If you’ve had the pleasure of visiting Chanticleer, I’d love to hear about your experiences there and your favourite parts of the garden.