Last September, the Philadelphia Area Fling took me to Pennsylvania, where I enjoyed two visits to the incomparable Chanticleer. I spent a full day there before the tour began and returned for the official afternoon visit, 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 pics from Chanticleer’s Cutting Garden and Vegetable Garden. A picturesque potting shed sets a romantic mood.

First, let’s explore the cutting garden. Arches of entwined willow march along a pine straw path, offering passage through a riot of flowers.

Chanticleer’s staff uses the cutting garden to make daily floral arrangements for the house, pavilion, and restrooms.

There’s a lot of gorgeous foliage and flowers to work with here.

Sunflowers were nodding over the path…

…and ripened seedheads were wired into the arches — an offering for 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 potting shed and two rows of cold frames.

I walked through the garden multiple times, taking it all in.

So much color and fall bounty

Chanticleer always has enticing places to sit and just look.

At the other end of the long path through the cutting garden…

…you come to a fenced vegetable garden, where pumpkins dangled from vines in late September.

Vegetables harvested here are given to local food banks and shelters.

Sheaves of ‘Lisette’ linen flax were bundled into a miniature haystack.

Somber sunflowers like mourners at a funeral

But the mood among the Flingers that afternoon was anything but mournful. Chanticleer made a lovely party for us, with multiple food stations and a bar set up throughout the grounds.

And an adorable ice cream truck

I ran into Chanticleer’s executive director, Bill Thomas, and his Welsh corgi, Monty, in the cutting garden. I first met Bill nearly 10 years ago in Dustin Gimbel’s garden in Los Angeles. If you haven’t read Bill’s book about Chanticleer, The Art of Gardening, you should. (For even more Chanticleer goodness, check out Rob Cardillo‘s gorgeous photos in Chanticleer: A Pleasure Garden.)

As the afternoon drew to a close, I spotted Karl Gercens, 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 were basking in the Chanticleer glow, including Teri Speight of Cottage in the Court and Michelle Derviss, a designer and sculptor from California.

More happy Flingers: Gail Eichelberger, Lisa Wagner, Beth Stetenfeld, Kylee Baumle, Margaret Mishra, and Caroline Homer

Thank you, Chanticleer. And most especially, thank you, Karl. The Philadelphia Area Fling was wonderful.

The 2024 Fling will be held in Puget Sound, Washington, in July, led by Camille Paulsen, Lynette Lampson, and Paula Rothkopf. If you’re a blogger or have a public social media presence about gardening (Instagram, YouTube channel, TikTok, podcast, etc.), perhaps I’ll see you there!

This concludes my coverage of the Philadelphia Area Fling. For a look back at Bell’s Woodland Garden at Chanticleer, click here.

To read about my past visits to the Cutting and Vegetable Garden at Chanticleer, follow these links:

• Creative paths and cutting garden glory at Chanticleer, October 2021
• Chanticleer’s Flower and Vegetable Garden and magical Bell’s Woodland, June 2016
• Cut Flower & Vegetable Garden, July 2008

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Digging Deeper

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