We pulled it off! Last week Maggie and I flew to Philadelphia, rented a car, and began our tour of the first four gardens. On day three, Mary drove down from Brooklyn and joined us for three more gardens and a sleepover. As spectacular as the gardens were, spending time with my girls was the real gift.
For my readers who want to know more about the gardens we visited, here are the highlights from each. (Note: we were particularly interested in how native plants were used in each of the eight gardens.)
Mt. Cuba Center, Hockessin, Delaware
Mt. Cuba Center, with its 68 acres of gardens and trails, is a leading native plant research organization. Walking its paths, we moved from a formal lilac allée through meadows, woodland wildflower gardens, and a series of interconnected ponds, eventually arriving at the trial gardens, where Mt. Cuba's researchers have spent decades evaluating native genera — coreopsis, heuchera, baptisia, trillium, monarda, hydrangeas, and goldenrod — for both ecological value and garden performance. In fact, based on their trials, I have recently purchased two Ruby Slipper Oak Leaf Hydrangeas.
My takeaway: Inside the historic home on the property was a display of flowers in vases, each labeled with its botanical name — the kind I always struggle to remember or pronounce. The display changes weekly to highlight whatever is in bloom. I could do that too!
Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, Winterthur, Delaware
Next up was Winterthur, home of Henry Francis du Pont — a collector of American antiques, decorative arts, and plants. He transformed the family estate into a 175-room mansion now celebrated as the premier museum of American decorative arts. But the gardens, all 60 naturalistic acres of them, were what we came for.
The Azalea Woods, the Quarry Garden, the Sundial Garden, the conifer arboretum — each unfolded as if it had always belonged there, following the contours of the land. I especially loved the three-acre children's area called Enchanted Woods, which looked as though fairies had constructed it rather than landscape architects.
My takeaway: The dead hedges I've been building around Farm Dover — especially the Dragon's Tail and the Triangle within a Triangle — could hopefully take on the fairy-tale-esque feel of Winterthur's Enchanted Woods. Each, I'm hoping, will look like the fairies of Farm Dover made them.
Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
I had visited Longwood Gardens some years ago and remembered only its formality: the fountains, the topiaries. Either it has changed, or I was unaware of all the areas devoted to native plants — the Meadow Garden, the Forest District, and the hillside gardens around the Chimes Tower. We found inspiration in the Idea Garden, which features interconnected spaces that blend formal design elements with agrarian styles. We were enthralled by the Conservatory, with its 4.5 acres under glass — a year-round spectacle of orchids, tropical plants, and seasonal flowers that has nothing to do with native plants but everything to do with horticultural wonder. Our visit ended with a peaceful stroll through the Bonsai Courtyard.
My takeaway: The Idea Garden featured a kitchen garden planted on the diagonal rather than in straight rows, with handcrafted structures for vertical growing. I could harvest willow and hazel branches from Farm Dover and use them to make A-frame trellises for peas, beans, and cucumbers.
Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden, Villanova, Pennsylvania
On Saturday morning we met Mary at Stoneleigh, a 42-acre natives-only garden woven into a historic formal landscape. I was especially captivated by the two dozen varieties of native vines climbing a magnificent century-old stone pergola. Mixed hedges of white pine, arborvitae, and native shrubs have replaced the clipped exotics of an earlier era. A former swimming pool has been transformed into a bog garden featuring remarkable carnivorous native pitcher plants.
My takeaway: Add a Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) and an American Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens) to our board fences.
PHS Meadowbrook Farm, Abington Township, Pennsylvania
Next up was PHS Meadowbrook Farm, a 25-acre estate garden just 13 miles north of Philadelphia. We wandered slowly through its 15 garden rooms surrounding an historic farmhouse, admiring the collections of potted plants, topiaries, archways, and vine-laden metal columns.
My takeaway: After seeing the xeric garden, I want to try planting the corners of our gravel parking area — perhaps with Grandmommy's sedums, or maybe some lavenders.
Morris Arboretum & Gardens, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia
What a wonderful surprise this turned out to be — a 92-acre destination for native plant and tree lovers, with exceptional collections of native azaleas, magnolias, and maples. Pennsylvania's official state arboretum features enormous tulip poplars, pines, and pawpaws, and the Out on a Limb elevated walkway let us experience the forest from within the canopy. The garden also has a historic Fernery — a charming freestanding glasshouse with a sunken design that houses over 200 species of ferns.
My takeaway: If our trees — most planted in the last 15 years — grow as big and tall as the ones here, Farm Dover will become a truly enchanted place, or, it will look like the overgrown forest in Sleeping Beauty! I only wish I could be here in 50 years to see it.
Chanticleer, Wayne, Pennsylvania
Simply put, Chanticleer is a garden of joy, surprise, and extraordinary horticultural creativity.
What sets it apart is its approach to horticulture as an art. Each of eight talented gardeners is responsible for designing, planting, and maintaining their own area, and the results — which change meaningfully from year to year — range from the serene Bell's Woodland, a native plant sanctuary, and the contemplative Pond Garden, to the dramatic Ruin Garden set among the remains of a family home, and the sculptural Gravel Garden. The historic trees on the 35-acres are magnificent.
My takeaway: Plant densely. Every square inch of the beds was filled with plants of varying color, height, and texture. Many beds were edged with a single plant type — violas, for example — blurring the hard line between bed and lawn.
Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens, Devon, Pennsylvania
On Sunday afternoon Mary headed back to Brooklyn, and Maggie and I decided to visit one last garden. (It's hard to stop when there are so many to see.)
Jenkins is perhaps the most unpretentious garden of our journey, and in some ways the most moving. It has none of the grand estate history of the others. Instead, it is a 48-acre garden founded by H. Lawrence Jenkins — not a wealthy or prominent man — to honor the memory of his wife, an ardent gardener and wildlife enthusiast. The garden focuses on rhododendrons and azaleas, with companion plantings of wildflowers, ferns, native shrubs, and woodland trees. It was a quiet, perfect way to end our garden tour.
My takeaway: After visiting these eight gardens, I’m convinced that native gardens can be even more beautiful than ones filled with exotic plants from around the world. They represent our ecosystem — what our bees, birds, and beetles need. It's the kind of gardening that makes sense to me, and that I want to keep exploring at Farm Dover -- and learning about via future garden trips with Maggie and Mary.
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