A visit to Chanticleer: Cut Flower & Vegetable Garden
Our final stop on our early July visit to Chanticleer was the Cut Flower & Vegetable Garden. How sweet, green, and lush it appeared—like an April garden in Austin. Old-fashioned lovelies like hollyhocks (above) and sunflowers gave height to the rows of cutting flowers.
Bent-twig arches also provided height and structure.
I adored this sweep of pink yarrow.
A closer look
Sea holly is one of those dramatic plants I keep meaning to find a place for in my own garden. The silvery blue foliage and flowerheads are fantastic.
This dragonfly took a rest on one of the arches above our heads, holding still for a silhouetted snapshot.
At one end, a picket-fenced potager is entered through an archway of weeping blue atlas cedar.
Inside you find a working vegetable garden.
Here too is a picturesque garden shed, outfitted with window boxes and working shutters—even a brick chimney.
I deeply enjoyed my visit to Chanticleer and hope to visit again one day—perhaps in spring, when rivers of bulbs are in bloom in the orchard and along the stream banks.
Until then, I’ll be strolling the paths and sitting in these chairs in my memory.
For a look back at the Gravel Garden and Ruin, click here. Thanks for joining me on my virtual tour of Chanticleer.
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Pam, thank you for sharing your tour of Chanticleer with us, we look forward to joining you in the spring!
I do like the colour of the hollyhocks, I wish I could grow them (they get rust here). I admire the cold frames in the third picture, the idea of being able to grow tender plants in the ground with protection in winter but not having to move them for the summer is clever. I was surprised that there was no edges to the path in the veg garden but it is very effective though I am not sure how practical.
Lots of ideas from this garden for all your readers around the world.
Best wishes Sylvia (England)
You know you’re in a special garden when you come home loaded with ideas for your own, as I did. Thanks for “touring” with me, Sylvia. I only wish I could see it again in the spring, but maybe someone (Layanee?) who lives closer will give us a tour then. —Pam
Wow what a potager. I just love the entrance with those weeping trees. I have often dreamed of having a garden large enough to have a few different gardens. Chanticleer is certainly a model garden. A place of dreams. I am so glad you shared your tour with us.
Lisa, your garden does seem large to me—isn’t that funny? I’m glad you enjoyed the tour. I appreciate all your comments. —Pam
Sigh, it really is a lovely garden. It would be hard to tear one’s self away knowing that visiting isn’t easy. I do like the potager; it reminds me of “colonial gardens” I’ve visited. It seems very American!
and thank you for this entire delightful tour Pam, your photos are wonderful! Gail
Thank YOU, Gail, for coming along! —Pam
What a gorgeous spot. I think my favorite spot would be in the last photo, sipping some iced tea while lounging in one of those chairs. 🙂
There were many such sitting areas, Nancy. You’d be hard pressed to choose the best place to stop. —Pam
I have really enjoyed the tour. Thank you. I bet you came home loaded with ideas for your own garden.
Yes, I simply must have some of that ‘Kent Beauty’ oregano and maybe the ‘Sunburst’ Hypericum as well. And some Tennessee coneflower (I’m hoping to get some seeds from Tennessee Gail). And I’m planning to incorporate some hardscaping ideas into my own garden as well. —Pam
Chanticleer is so beautiful! I’d like to move right in, Pam – and since the garden shed looks about the same size as my house it might work.
The bent twig arches look cute but how in the world could they stay up? Maybe there’s something like rebar hidden in the twigs – otherwise they’d be blown over here in Austin.
I just love the first photo with that pale yellow hollyhock.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I was thinking the same thing about that garden shed, Annie. 😉 There probably is rebar in those twig arches, but I didn’t examine them closely enough to be able to say for sure. —Pam
your tour of the gardens at Chanticleer was wonderful. I think I liked the asian woods and stream garden best. the gravel and ruin garden also provided some great ideas for a laneway area that needs a makeover. thanks for taking us along for the ride.
irena
You are most welcome, Irena. I’m glad you got some good ideas out of it, and I’m happy to have your vote for best garden at Chanticleer. The Asian Woods and stream area are very beautiful. —Pam
Okay, let’s meet in Philly for the Spring Flower Show and a visit to Chanticleer! I do love the drifts of yarrow.
That’s such a tempting idea that I looked it up online, Layanee. Unfortunately, the Philly Flower Show runs the first week of March, and Chanticleer doesn’t open until April. It may be just as well if the Spring Fling in Chicago ends up actually occurring in the spring rather than the fall. We garden bloggers need the date on that before making other travel plans! —Pam
Oh, I’ve been keeping an eye out for sea holly as well, but I’ve never seen it at any of the nurseries in Austin. I’m tempted to try my luck at starting some from seed.
And as always, thanks for the Chanticleer tour! It’s definitely found a place on my must-visit gardens list.
I’ll let you know if I ever see any sea holly, Lori, and I hope you’ll do the same for me. —Pam
I wish my edible area of the yard looked like that! How charming!
I wish I had an edible area, Jamie! This one is indeed quite charming. —Pam
I love a well planted vegetable garden. Thanks for sharing your trip with us, these are great pictures!
Thanks, Carol. I’m glad you enjoyed the tour. —Pam
… I’m still stuck on the “archway of weeping blue atlas cedars.” That sounds (and looks) so fantastical–too good to be true! I LOVE that they did something that beautiful and unique at the entrance to the potager.
Isn’t that great? There’s so much creativity on display here. —Pam