Consider this a summer reverie. Or at least get lost for a moment in the beauty of Chanticleer, a public garden located outside of Philadelphia. It is described by Garden Design magazine as “one of America’s most inspiring gardens.” I visited at the end of August.
At the time, I was deep into reading, Nature into Art: The Gardens of Wave Hill for a book review. This, too, is a public garden that was once a private estate. Highly regarded for its creative approach to horticulture, Wave Hill is a model for planting design innovation that is embraced by the gardeners of Chanticleer.
While exploring the garden, I could not help but think about what privately owned properties today might become the great public gardens of the future.
Chanticleer is described as the most romantic, imaginative, and exciting public garden in America. The garden provides a study in texture and form. At Chanticleer foliage trumps flowers, the gardeners lead the design, and sculptural elements are integrated into the landscape. The garden is breathtakingly beautiful and filled with innovative planting ideas.
The garden is also a place of restoration, as shared by Margo Rabb in a recent New York Times op-ed “Garden of Solace.” In the piece, Rabb tells the story of how her discovery of Chanticleer was key to her healing process as she coped with feelings of intense grief and loss. Spending time in the garden made Rabb feel whole.
That Chanticleer continues to provide pleasure to successive generations would no doubt please the Rosengarten family whose generosity and foresight assured that it remain open to the public in perpetuity. Wisely, the private garden that the Rosengartens lovingly created and nurtured is not frozen in time. It continues to evolve and change to accommodate new practices in horticulture and sustainable design.
In 1990 Chanticleer was formally bequeathed for the enjoyment and education of the public. Its first director, Chris Woods, is credited with visualizing and executing a plan for the future that continues to serve as inspiration for the garden today. Woods authored Garden Lust: A Botanical Tour of the World’s Best Gardens, which I reviewed in December of 2018.
Seven Horticulturists are responsible for the design, planting, and maintenance of individual areas featured within the garden. The gardens change every year. While each maintains a distinct identity, they work in harmony to present a curated experience accessible by a trail that is just over a mile in length.
Chanticleer is a garden of infinite delight and every detail is carefully considered. Artistic features, often created by staff off-season, are integrated throughout the landscape. Chanticleer encourages visitors to use the garden as a place for reflection and benches are sited throughout – each is unique.
While Chanticleer closed for the season just this week , it will open again on April 1st. In the interim, I share some of my photographs and experiences, knowing well the limitations of seasonality. Fortunately, the talented photographer Lisa Roper posts frequently on Chanticleer’s Facebook page.
Chanticleer’s principle entry is through the teacup garden, an intimate space planted with boldly textured seasonal and annual plantings. A fountain, purchased in Italy during the 1920’s serves as a focal point.
Many former estate features are repurposed as garden areas, including the tennis courts. Cutting gardens provide floral arrangements for the house and produce from the vegetable garden is donated to local agencies.
The ruin garden is built on the foundation of Minder House, former home of Adolph Rosengarten, Jr. Erected in 2000, the ruin garden features a great hall, library and pool room ornamented with artistic elements by sculptor Marcia Donahue.
Close by a series of terraces form the gravel garden. These lead to a lookout providing a view the pond garden and serpentine lawn area. The gravel garden features Mediterranean plants including several yucca, whose unique forms are unexpected in suburban Philadelphia (at least to me).
The pond garden was constructed in the 1970’s and originally left unplanted to provide “a mirror” for surrounding trees. It has expanded to include a series of five ponds bordered by naturalistic plantings complemented by colorful annuals and perennials.
On the upper reaches of the pond garden is an arbor, featuring stone colonnades and a rock ledge. This shaded spot is perfectly sited for reflection and provides an opportunity to view the pond garden and surrounding landscape.
Throughout Chanticleer plant lists are available, as the more than 5,000 plants in the garden are not individually labeled. Plant lists are also available on the Chanticleer Garden website which features a weekly listing of what’s in bloom. Visitors are encouraged to speak with the gardeners directly when they are in the garden and on my visit gardening staff was accessible, knowledgeable and friendly.
As for the name Chanticleer, there are multiple theories as to its origin. The Rosengartens were Francophiles and the Chanticleer, a symbol of the victory of light over darkness, is a beloved emblem of France. It is also believed that Adolph Rosengarten, Sr. named the property after a fictional estate featured in a William Makepeace Thackeray novel, Chanticlere. Whatever the source, throughout the garden Chanticleers are prominently featured.
A visit to Chanticleer is designed to make you feel like a guest of the Rosengartens and that is exactly what happens when you are there. The garden, which is 35 acres in size, is overseen by the Chanticleer Foundation, whose nine-member board includes six Rosengarten relatives. Its mission, to display the beauty and art of horticulture, is successfully realized.
https://www.facebook.com/ChanticleerGarden
Copyright © 2019 Patrice Todisco — All Rights Reserved
A fine review of a very fine garden. I look forward to a return visit.
Thanks, Pat. I hope to visit again as well.
Thanks, Charlie. It’s great to hear from you and I do hope all is well. Perhaps you have visited Chanticleer, if not put it on your list next time you are in Philadelphia.
A fabulous review–I especially appreciated your thoughts on healing and public access–thanks Patrice!