You would think by October there might be an end to garden exuberance, but not at Chanticleer in Wayne, Pennsylvania on the the 18th of October.
The weather was glorious, the slanting light of autumn perfect for photography and everywhere I looked there was color and creativity; nature and humanity in partnership to create perfect wonder.
It was the most beautiful garden I could ever imagine.
We began our own tour of the garden in the area around the house, the most obvious place to begin.
At one end of the house there is a porch with a fireplace, two rocking chairs and a view down the hillside to the more wild areas of the garden (top).
At the other end is a long narrow, shaded pool. Water trickles in at both ends from sculpted fonts.
Many pots of sizes ranging from the modest to the immense are all around, planted with combinations that surprised and delighted me. In fact the whole garden endlessly delighted me.
Craftsman and artists' contributions were everywhere, including many benches where one might enjoy a restful and contemplative seat.
At the rear of the house are two cabanas flanking a rectangular swimming pool. Between the pool and the house a wild, grassy area was planted with a casual scattering of orange dahlias, tall stemmed purple verbena and other sun loving flowers.
A variety of sculptural water fountains provide refreshment for body and soul as we meander through the garden.
Here a rock bowl makes a tiny pool for some water loving plants. This mossy nook is on one of the many side paths that coax one to wander off the main ones.
There are both wide open wide lawns and thick wooded areas at Chanticleer, giving the contrasts of bright or dappled light, and hot sun or cool shade.
If interested, you can learn the names of the plants growing in the various habitats. This box has a style suited to its woodland location.
I was satisfied with just observing and appreciating the plants I saw, or speculating about them. Was this a hydrangea? Probably, but one I had never seen before.
My companion checked out a plant list for this rock garden and discovered it to be a thick booklet with photographs of hundreds of plants.
Very enjoyable for me were the many man made features along the way, such as this little hut, painted on the inside with animals and tree branches or this carved wooden foot bridge.
"The Ruins" are partial stone walls and chimneys artfully landscaped and also loaded with art, such as these stone messages, and five large and impassive stone heads in a fountain.
Yet another pool was at the center of the ruin, its black stone making the water table-height. Its massive size and dark depths within the enclosing walls were not easy to capture in a photograph, yet I tried.
My favorite man made feature was this bridge, a most unusual design, made of wood and metal.
Plants are incorporated into the design with a moss garden atop one side, and more plants in a low round window, and along the floor.
Chanticleer Garden is a spectacular place to visit. I have left much for you to discover yourself. I for one will be back, to see it in other seasons.
If in October, when flowers everywhere else are mostly just chrysanthemums and asters, there was still so much color and interest at Chanticleer...
what then what will it be like in spring or summer?
