Chanticleer: a plantsmen's garden

A series on Chanticleer in Wayne, PA

Chanticleer's Oak Bed filled with spring delights!

Horticulture in Pennsylvania

After a month of sharing about my favorite garden on another continent, I will be sharing this month about a bit of horticultural magic that lives right here in Pennsylvania. I say right here, but in reality Chanticleer is separated from my own garden by 340 miles and the Appalachian mountain range that divides our long, rectangular state. Yet I have had the pleasure to visit many times over the past decade and seen it in many seasons.

Chanticleer’s tagline is “a pleasure garden,” but since my first visit there twelve years ago during an early spring, I have thought of it as a plant persons’ garden. It is interesting to read my thoughts from that time, and to hear a bit more about the place from Chanticleer itself. This month, I will also be talking with a current working Chanticleer gardener, and sharing more of its wonderful planting schemes.

A nice place for a sit to enjoy the tulip display, which is beautifully edged with the yellow Japanese forest grass, Hakonechloa aureola. Chanticleer

Twelve years ago, after my first visit to Chanticleer in 2012, I wrote the following:

“Last spring I had the pleasure of visiting one of the most beautiful gardens in North America with some wonderful garden blogging friends. Chanticleer in Wayne, PA, is an excellent example of a public garden that shines because it is cultivated by devoted gardeners.

Seeing Chanticleer Gardens reminded me of reading from Rosemary Verey that "detail is all important."¹  Chanticleer's attention to planting details is so well done.  Color harmonies and complements are everywhere for the taking, with many layers of planting supporting each theme whether pastel or bold.

I would not say it is a perfectionist’s garden; there certainly were bare spots here and there. But it is an altogether charming place to visit, perhaps because it is not so uptight. Romantic is a word that describes it well. I still feel over-awed at the orchestration in planting that I saw at Chanticleer. I decided that the best way through this garden visit would be a bite at a time. So, here we begin at the entrance…”

Bold container plantings at the entrance to Chanticleer Gardens.

Yellow and pink tulips under the glowing maple tree, Acer negundo 'Kelly's Gold' in the Teacup Garden—the first garden near the entrance at Chanticleer.

“Romance” is the word

I was not alone in those sentiments from my visit in spring of 2012—and not at all original in my choice of descriptions. Chanticleer’s website reports:

“Chanticleer has been called the most romantic, imaginative, and exciting public garden in America. The garden is a study of textures and forms, where foliage trumps flowers, the gardeners lead the design, and even the drinking fountains are sculptural. It is a garden of pleasure and learning, relaxing yet filled with ideas to take home…”²

Tulip-dappled lawns near the Teacup Garden at Chanticleer

“…There are seven Horticulturists, each responsible for the design, planting, and maintenance of an area. The areas are continually evolving, each with its own feel…”³

Map of Chanticleer’s gardens, which are connected by paths saturated with interesting plantings. Map from ChanticleerGarden.org

The Oak Bed near the entrance at Chanticleer

“…We take our educational responsibilities seriously but interpret them a bit differently than other public gardens. Instead of labeling every plant, which would distract from the visual effect, we encourage guests to speak with the gardeners about our 5,000+ plants. Plant lists and photographs are in handmade boxes and available online.”⁴

Colorful pots at Chanticleer's entrance

Shady spot: Dogwood Corner

As you get further from the entrance gardens you come to the shadier spots. This one, which is at the bottom of the Orchard, I have thought of as “Dogwood Corner” for a decade as it has such a spectacular display at this time of year.

If you are making a visit to Chanticleer this spring, look for this garden at the bottom of the hill from the Entrance house, just past the Cutting garden.

Tiarella cordifolia River Series, bred by Sinclair Adams, forms a carpet under much of this area. Also dark purple Geranium 'Springtime' and a pink, candy-striped foam flower, Tiarella 'Pink Skyrocket.' Under the pink-flowering dogwood, white Trillium grandiflorum is spreading nicely, along with a bit of Phlox divaricata and Mertensia virginica.

Purple-leaved Geranium maculatum 'Espresso' under the Dogwood (now Benthamidia florida formerly Cornus f.) with Heuchera, ferns and Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica).

Bell’s Run Creek

A few quick views of Bell’s Run from the first April visit in 2012…

Clematis macropetala 'Blue Bird' at Chanticleer in April 2012

Fothergilla gardenii and Phlox divaricata in Bell's Run Creek.

Seating area with tiled walkway in the Bell’s Run Creek garden.

Coming up this month: Chanticleer’s Gravel Garden, Asian Woods, the Pond, and an interview with Chanticleer gardener, Grant Hughes.

Chanticleer house & gardens was envisioned and built during the 1920’s by the Rosengarten family. It was later commissioned as a public garden in 1993. House illustration from Chanticleer Gardens.org

Chanticleer House & Gardens in April 2012. Keep an eye open for rooster statues (like on the pillar above), as chanticleer is french for rooster.

If you wish to go visit their hours are:

Wednesday - Sunday from 10am - 5pm; Fridays open until 8pm

Parking reservations are required; Find out more at ChanticleerGarden.org

Paeonia emodi, or Himalayan peony, naturally grows in the Himalayan mountains. Here in the Oak Bed, it has a much more comfortable setting, surrounded by Phlox stolonifera 'Sherwood Purple', Hosta 'Emerald Tiara' and Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa aureola).

Have you been to Chanticleer? Does the word “romance” pop to mind when seeing these photos? Love to hear your thoughts!

1. The Making of a Garden by Rosemary Verey

2. About Chanticleer

3. About Chanticleer

4. About Chanticleer

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