January 24, 2024
Last September, the Philadelphia Area Fling took me to Pennsylvania, where I enjoyed two visits to the incomparable Chanticleer. I spent the whole day there before the start of the tour and returned for an official visit in the afternoon, which ended with dinner, live music and dancing in the garden. What a treat! This is part 10 of my Chanticleer recap, with photos from both visits.
Today I’m sharing pictures from Chanticleer’s Cutting Garden and Vegetable Garden. A picturesque potting shed creates a romantic mood.
First, let’s explore the cutting garden. Arches of entwined willow march down a path of pine straw, offering passage through a profusion of flowers.
The Chanticleer staff uses the cutting garden for daily floral arrangements for the house, pavilion and restrooms.
There are lots of beautiful foliage and flowers to work with here.
Sunflowers were waving above the path…
…and ripe seed heads were woven into the bows – an offering to the birds.
At the end of the path in this direction…
…you find a pumpkin bench under a tree.
From here you have a good view of the shed and two rows of cold frames.
I went through the garden more than once, taking in everything.
So many colors and autumn
Chanticleer always has tempting places to sit and watch.
At the other end of the long path through the garden that is being cut…
…you come to a fenced vegetable garden, where pumpkins were hanging from vines at the end of September.
Vegetables harvested here are given to local food banks and shelters.
Sheaves of ‘Lisette’ flax were tied into a miniature haystack.
Gloomy sunflowers like mourners at a funeral
But the mood among the Flingers that afternoon was anything but mournful. Chanticleer put on a wonderful party for us, with multiple food stations and a bar set up throughout the grounds.
And a lovely ice cream truck
I ran into Chanticleer’s CEO, Bill Thomas, and his Welsh kogi, Monty, in the logging yard. I first met Bill almost 10 years ago in Dustin Gimbel’s garden in Los Angeles. If you haven’t read Bill’s Chanticleer book, The Art of Gardening, I should. (For even more Chanticleer goodness, check out Rob Cardillo’s gorgeous photos Chanticleer: A Pleasure Garden.)
As the afternoon drew to a close, I spotted Karl Gerzens, organizer of the Philadelphia Area Fling, taking a well-deserved rest and chatting with Mary Schier of My Northern Garden.
Fling friends from across the country and beyond basked in the splendor of Chanticleer, including Teri Speight of Cottage in the Court and Michelle Derviss, a designer and sculptor from California.
Even Happier Flingers: Gail Eichelberger, Lisa Wagner, Beth Stetenfeld, Kylee Baumle, Margaret Mishra and Caroline Homer
Thank you, Chanticleer. And especially, thank you, Karl. The Philadelphia Area Fling was wonderful.
The 2024 Fling will take place in Puget Sound, Washington in July, led by Camille Paulsen, Lynette Lampson and Paula Rothkopf. If you’re a blogger or have a public gardening social media presence (Instagram, YouTube channel, TikTok, podcast, etc.), maybe we’ll see you there!
This concludes my coverage of the Philadelphia Area Fling. For a review of Bell’s Woodland Garden in Chanticleer, click here.
To read about my past visits to the Chanticleer Cutting and Vegetable Garden, follow these links:
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