In this Polly Hill Arboretum August 1 workshop, participants will learn to build the iconic Wave Hill Chair, designed in 1918 by Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld. Dan Benarcik will provide step-by-step instruction to attendees, who will leave with their own lovely garden chair. No previous experience is necessary, and lumber will be supplied. Attendees need to bring their own cordless drill.
Dan Benarcik has had one foot in the greenhouse and the other in the wood shop his entire life. Dan is a gardener, designer, woodworker, and ambassador for Chanticleer garden outside Philadelphia.
Pre-registration required. PHA Members: $350; Non-Members: $375. Click here to register.
Join Pacific Horticulture in June on a botanical journey through the famed gardens of the Brandywine Valley in Pennsylvania and Delaware while staying at Inn at Whitewing Farm on one of the most beautiful farms in the region. This extraordinary tour blends horticultural splendor with American history in the heart of “America’s Garden Capital”, including Longwood Gardens, Chanticleer, Winterthur, and the Mt Cuba Center for native plants. Explore estate gardens rooted in legacy and wealth and be welcomed into some of the region’s most celebrated private gardens, all framed by expert insight and warm camaraderie of author and designer Sue Goetz, a former Board member of Pacific Horticulture. For more information, and to access itinerary, visit https://pacifichorticulture.org/travel_new/delaware_new/
Join the American Horticultural Society for a springtime journey May 3 – 7 through the Brandywine Valley, one of America’s most celebrated garden regions. Immerse yourself in the artistry of world-renowned estates, innovative contemporary gardens, and living horticultural history. Hosted by Rochelle Greayer, Editor of American Gardener, this delightful program combines immersive garden visits, expert-led tours, and inspiring conversations with some of the region’s most acclaimed garden creators. Comfortable accommodations at the charming Brandywine River Hotel make this an ideal home base for an unforgettable horticultural adventure. Trip highlights include visits to Longwood Gardens, Winterthur, the Mt. Cuba Center, the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College, Chanticleer, and Bartram’s Garden, and enjoy a special visit with acclaimed gardener and author David Culp at Brandywine Cottage.
Join Smithsonian Associates expert presenters on three consecutive Sundays in February, online, to tour some of the world’s greatest botanical gardens. Indulge in a colorful midwinter escape as horticultural experts lead a series of virtual visits that highlight the beauty of notable botanical gardens in settings as far-flung as Morocco, New Zealand, Israel, Belgium, and the East Coast of the United States. In vibrant visuals they explore how each garden has taken a unique approach to design and interpretation as they celebrate plant collections, conservation, education, and the distinctive environments and landscapes in which they bloom.
February 4 Donabo Gardens of Tangier, Morocco, and the Jerusalem Botanical Garden, Israel
Visit two Mediterranean public gardens in bustling historic cities that provide horticultural and ecological education while conserving open space in highly urbanized areas. Each garden strives to manage water in a seasonally dry environment as it develops collections of native and exotic plants. While in Tangier, make a brief visit to an extraordinary private garden rarely seen by visitors.
Presenter Keith Tomlinson has worked as a naturalist and public garden administrator for 25 years, visiting wilderness areas and botanical gardens around the world. He is the author of numerous articles on plant conservation, botanical garden travel, and environmental education.
February 11 The Royal Greenhouses, Laeken, Belgium, and Chanticleer Gardens, Pennsylvania
If glasshouses can be a confection, then the Serres Royales (Royal Greenhouses) is a sumptuous dessert. Dating to the Victoria era when architecture was equally as important as a plant collection, these indoor gardens are second to none. Open to the public for only a few weeks each spring, it’s worth planning a trip to experience them. Narrow corridors flanked with flowers open into multi-story rooms encircled by exotic trees collected from around the globe. This is a world horticultural treasure of beauty, innovation, and history.
Chanticleer has been described as one of the most romantic, imaginative, and innovative gardens in the United States. Nestled in the heart of America’s Garden Capital, this Philadelphia-area gem is brimming with intriguing plants and artistic accoutrements. The garden is relatively new, having come about in the 1990s. Survey its development over the years as well as some of the highlights of Chanticleer’s captivating, ever-changing displays.
Presenter Karl Gercens is the conservatory manager at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, where he has been in the glasshouses for 25 years. With more than 3,000 individual gardens visited in almost 30 countries, Karl seeks inspiration from across the globe.
February 18 Dunedin Botanic Gardens, New Zealand and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Virginia
Known as the Wildlife Capital of New Zealand, the city of Dunedin prides itself on stunning scenery and unique biodiversity. The Dunedin Botanic Garden, New Zealand’s first, marked its 160th anniversary in 2023. With extensive plant collections, viewsheds, and beautiful walks through the native bush, the garden acts as a green sanctuary for those looking to escape the urban environment. Explore this jewel within the city and understand how it fulfills its international responsibility for conservation.
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in central Virginia, by contrast, is a relatively young botanical garden celebrating its 40th anniversary. Devoted to inspiring communities and enhancing relationships with the natural world, the garden is continuously growing and evolving, immersing visitors in a world of beauty with surprising vistas around every turn. Enjoy a virtual tour of the 50 acres of gardens, explore the evolving exhibitions, and find inspiration in the programmatic offerings.
Presenter Chelsea Mahaffey is a public garden professional at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. She is an advocate for horticulture as a career and passionate about the importance of plants in our lives.
$60 for the three session package for Smithsonian Associates members, $75 for nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org
Program Overview: Where can you find over 30 public gardens in a 30-mile radius? Philadelphia! And that doesn’t include private gardens. The ACS National Meeting planners, Mike Larkin and Frank Goodhart, have lined up a great schedule of talks and visits to several public and cutting-edge private gardens. Public gardens include Chanticleer,Morris Arboretum, Stoneleigh, and Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. The last two are recently anointed ACS Conifer Reference Gardens, which demonstrate that conifers are on the rise and much loved in the Philly area. Private gardens on the schedule are those of Fred and Helen Consaley, and Michael Kates. These private gardens are just as impressive for their size as the public gardens, given that they don’t have the public resources and staff to develop and maintain them. They are also focused heavily on conifers, which heightens their appeal.
The meeting kicks off Thursday night with dinner and a talk by William Thomas, Executive Director of the Chanticleer Foundation, on “The Art of Gardening at Chanticleer.” Bill is a life member and former president of the ACS. Then we’re off for two days of spectacular garden tours. You won’t want to miss the popular conifer auction on Saturday night and the parking lot sale on Sunday.
NATIONAL MEETING HOTEL:Your hotel registration must be made separately.
Headquarters for the 2022 National Meeting is the Marriott Philadelphia West in West Conshohocken, PA, about 10 miles northwest of downtown Philadelphia.
The ACS rate is $134/night plus tax, guaranteed until August 24, 2022. For reservations, book at American Conifer Society National Meeting, or call 800-228-9290 and ask for the American Conifer Society room block.
POST-MEETING TOUR (Sept 18-20)
Program Overview: Mike Larkin, Frank Goodhart and their team including Rebecca Boylan and Dan Romenesko have outdone themselves putting together three action-packed days. Attendees will visit four unique public garden sites (two of them with specialty nurseries) and three outstanding private gardens. Unwind in the evenings at the elegant Golden Plough Inn in New Hope, PA, with a Murder Mystery dinner thrown in Sunday night for entertainment. The Spring 2022 issue of CONIFERQUARTERLY will feature a full article and pictures about the Post-Meeting Tour. Want to know more? Please contact Mike Larkin.
POST-MEETING TOUR HOTEL: Your hotel registration must be made separately.
The host hotel for the post-meeting tour will be the Golden Plough Inn, 5883 Lower York Rd., New Hope, PA 18938. For reservations please call 215-794-4004. The ACS rate is $139/night plus tax, guaranteed until August 24, 2022. Ask for the American Conifer Society room block when making reservations.
The post-meeting tour will be limited to 52 people, the maximum that the accommodations will allow. A minimum of 30 people must register for the tour to run. The Golden Plough Inn is holding a block of rooms for us in two adjacent buildings. One building does not have an elevator, but the hotel staff will help with the luggage. If you need elevator access to reach your room, please inform the hotel at registration.
At the time of the event, all or some of the venues may require masks for COVID safety. We will follow State COVID guidelines or the venue’s requirements at that time. We will provide an update as the event approaches
PRINTABLE REGISTRATION FORMS: A separate Registration Form and Fee is required for each event.
Join garden historian and author Dr. Toby Musgrave online on a ‘Grand Tour’ showcasing America’s great and inspiring gardens, revealing their diversity and richness, and exploring their contribution to global garden art.
We’ll explore a variety of gardens in a variety of locations and climates around the United States, each of which is open to the public and can be visited and experienced in person. From the eastern seaboard to the west coast; the cold, high Rockies to the tropical southeast; balmy California to hot, dry deserts; the warm, wet Pacific northwest to the Prairies and the cool northeast create the full spectrum of garden design possibilities. Ranging across historical periods and styles, we will visit well known (and lesser well-known) gardens around the country to reveal in broad terms the evolution of American garden design over time. Beginning with early Colonial gardens on the East Coast and Mission gardens in California, we will move on to English Landscape-style gardens and French Baroque influenced antebellum plantation gardens. As we move chronologically ahead, we will also study the opulence of the Beaux-Arts-inspired Country Place Era and how it evolved into the innovative “homegrown” styles such as Prairie Gardens. We will conclude with a look at modern and contemporary American garden design.
Gardens featured include: Colonial Williamsburg, San Diego Mission, Mount Vernon, Monticello, Middleton Place, Rosedown Plantation, Biltmore, Dumbarton Oaks, Filoli, Innisfree, Longwood, Naumkeag, the Huntington Library, Untermeyer, Wave Hill, Longue Vue, Casa del Herro, J Irwin House and Garden, El Novillero, Lotusland, Sunnylands, Chanticleer, Chase Garden, Getty Centre, Hollister House and Windcliff.
Led by an expert on gardens and garden history, Dr Toby Musgrave, this Context interactive seminar will showcase and celebrate America’s great and inspiring gardens. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased knowledge and understanding of America’s great garden heritage. $36.50. Register at www.contextlearning.com
Dumbarton Oaks (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Developing a native woodland garden, in suburban areas, comes with
specific challenges such as soil degradations and erosion, abundance of
invasive exotic plant species, and a need to manage stormwater runoff.
In his online Ecological Landscape Alliance presentation on December 3 from 12:30 – 1:30, Przemek Walczak will discuss soil restoration, evaluating the effectiveness of different methods for a variety of situations; invasive plant species removal eradication versus suppression; and Hugelculture both as a way of gardening and as a tool for restoring woodland soil by addressing surface runoff and creating specific conditions for plants. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-bells-woodland-creating-a-native-garden-from-disturbed-woodland-at-chanticleer/
Przemek Walczak is a horticulturist at Chanticleer Garden, his place of employment for the past 22 years. Before that he interned as an arborist at Morris Arboretum of University of Pennsylvania and Winterthur Museum and Garden in Wilmington, Delaware. In Poland, prior to moving to the United States, Continued from previous page Mr. Walczak worked in the Studio for Applied Dendrology at The Center for the Preservation of Historic Landscapes. He lectures and teaches classes on topics such as pruning, native plant gardening, springs wildflowers and ephemerals, ferns, moss gardening, native pollinators, gardening for the birds, aquatic gardening, and woodland and shade gardening. Mr. Walczak graduated from Academy of Life Sciences in Warsaw, Poland as a Master of Economics and Agriculture.
The greater Philadelphia area boasts some of the most outstanding gardens in the United States. Join Pacific Horticulture June 3 – 9, 2018 for an inside look at historic gardens, exceptional nurseries, and private landscapes rarely open to the public.
Our itinerary includes visits to estate gardens founded on fabulous wealth and a historic garden pre-dating American Independence, as well as a collection of delightful personal gardens. At Longwood Gardens we’ll attend the fabulous fountain show in the Italian-style outdoor theater. And we’ll enjoy a docent-led tour of Chanticleer, a pleasure garden that’s been called the most romantic, imaginative, and exciting public garden in America (image below from www.pyours.com). The Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College , Brandywine Cottage, Meadowbrook Farm, and many more sites will be included. PHS board member Sue Goetz will escort this tour. Your hotel is the Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District, in the heart of the historic Old City.
R. William Thomas, Executive Director, Chanticleer Foundation, will visit Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Saturday, November 7 for a talk and book signing. To visit Chanticleer – one of the foremost public gardens in the world – is to step into a world of beauty and creativity that few other gardens can match. Chanticleer isn’t just a place to marvel at however. It also offers practical lessons for re-creating some of the garden’s most spectacular effects in your own landscape. Tower Hill members $15, nonmembers $25. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.
In recognition of the contributions of Lisina and Frank Hoch, the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury has established an annual lecture in their honor focusing on great American gardens. They are pleased to welcome William (Bill) Thomas, director of Chanticleer, located in Wayne, Pennsylvania as the inaugural speaker on Wednesday, July 18, beginning at 7:30 pm. Chanticleer, a pleasure garden, is the most creative garden in America. The garden is visually and sensually exciting; filled with artistic spaces full of inspiring plant combinations, magnificent container plantings, and the artistry of the garden’s staff from woodworking to stone carving to metalworking. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how this spectacular garden continues to evolve. $10/$5 for PHA members. Generously sponsored by Heather Gardens. Register at www.pollyhillarboretum.org.
