A gardener’s vacation

What do garden columnists do while on vacation? They visit as many gardens as possible, of course.

That’s what I did while on a two-week vacation in Pennsylvania this summer. It all began in Pittsburgh, where I attended the Garden Writers Association’s annual symposium. This involved tours of public and private gardens, workshops and networking with other writers, photographers and regional garden gurus from across the country.

An early morning photo shoot at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens was one of the highlights of my time in the city.

This enormous Victorian greenhouse has been the centerpiece of surrounding Schenley Park since 1893. I particularly enjoyed going from one wing of the conservatory to the next, wondering what might be around the corner.

There is the Victoria room with its serene reflecting pool, the plants from India room, and the more tropical Palm Court. The room filled with exotic varieties of orchids provided a stark contrast to the desert room that overflowed with cacti and succulents.

Outside the conservatory, I saw colorful perennial and annual borders as well as water gardens filled with breathtakingly beautiful water lilies and lotuses.

Phipps is justifiably proud of its reputation for following sustainable practices throughout the gardens and buildings. In 2012, it opened what is billed as “one of the greenest buildings in the world,” which includes a green roof and surrounding natural landscape.

After the symposium, my husband, Bill, and I extended our trip to explore other notable gardens across the state.

Our first stop was Hershey Gardens, located in the chocolate capital of Pennsylvania. As tempting as it might be to tour the Chocolate World attraction and sample chocolates, we chose to explore the gardens. We were not disappointed.

The gardens encompass 26 acres – including a rose garden containing 5,600 roses – which have been divided into distinct zones. There are glorious display gardens bursting with annuals, a tranquil Japanese garden, and an arboretum featuring oaks, cypress, beech and chestnuts.

The children’s garden includes interactive fountains and water wheels, a treehouse and a maze. This big kid was especially enthralled with the butterfly house, where brightly-hued butterflies flitted from flower to flower.

One funny thing to note is that the gardens are located near Hershey amusement park. The serenity we found in the plantings was an interesting contrast to the distant shrieks of joy and/or terror coming from those enjoying the roller coasters and other rides.

After leaving Hershey, we headed east toward Philadelphia for Longwood Gardens, which has been on my bucket list for many years.

Founded by Pierre du Pont in the early 1900s, Longwood now encompasses a 4-acre conservatory and 1,077 acres of meticulously tended gardens.

As we approached the conservatory, we were easily sidetracked by the topiary garden and main fountain garden. We returned to the latter for an early afternoon fountain garden show accompanied by chimes from a nearby tower. On summer evenings, they illuminate the fountains and occasionally have fireworks shows.

I found the trial garden of interest as it’s always fun to see new plant varieties and get a sense of what might be coming to our nurseries in the future. There were stunning beds with interesting combinations of flowers and ornamental grasses as well.

The vegetable garden was heavily planted with kale, corn, sunflowers, okra, tomatoes, eggplants and more. Other points of interest included elaborate treehouses, the Italian water garden and the water lily display.

Longwood Gardens hosts seasonal displays such as the chrysanthemum festival in the fall, “A Longwood Christmas” during the holidays and “An Orchid Extravaganza” from January through March.

The gardens’ newest feature is an 86-acre meadow garden. This ecologically designed garden features winding paths, blooming native plants to attract pollinators, and educational exhibits. Also located near Philadelphia, Chanticleer Garden was an unexpected delight.

The gardens surround the country home of Adolph and Catherine Rosengarten, which was built in 1913 in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

Despite its intimate feel, Chanticleer Garden encompasses 47 acres, 35 of which are public, and has several distinct regions. Surrounding the main house are beautiful container plantings – many incorporating tropical plants such as palm trees and hibiscus – a serene Asian woods, a cut-flower garden, and delightful vegetable garden. The pond garden was filled with blooming lotuses.

There were beautifully carved wooden or iron handrails and bridge railings, along with creative wooden boxes containing plant lists – all made by members of the garden staff – which contributed to the unique setting.

During our trip through Pennsylvania, we were impressed by the lush countryside, vibrant public gardens and the pride residents took in their own garden spaces. Just knowing there are many more gardens to explore makes me want to go back.