Trip to Gardens of Eastern Pennsylvania, June 12-14, 2019
Informational meeting – Monday, March 18, 2pm at the Extension Office
• Payment must be made by April 1 ($56 under 60 years of age and $54 over 60). Payment includes garden tours and entrance fees. We will be carpooling. You may pay by check or use the credit card "Buy Now" link below. Note: The charge on your credit card statement will appear as "PAYPAL ROCKBRIDGE".
• A block of rooms is reserved at the Inn at Mendenhall in Chadd's Ford, PA (610-388-2100, Booking # 49436). Rooms are $129.00 plus tax. Everyone books and pays for his or her own room. The hotel is only a few minutes from Longwood.
• Meals will be on your own, although a hot breakfast is provided at the hotel.
• For more information and to reserve a spot, contact Jane Stange at pstange@embarqmail.com by March 1st.
The Gardens:
Join your fellow Master Gardeners on a field trip to three amazing gardens: Chanticleer, Longwood Gardens, and Mt. Cuba Center.
Chanticleer is the ultimate gardener’s garden, a private estate turned public garden that maintains its domestic feel. It is a magical garden with plants stuffed in every nook and cranny, with surprises at every turn. Every detail of the garden has been thought out, right down to the intricately carved water fountains. Especially noteworthy is the constructed ruin. Don’t miss the amazing container plantings.
Mt. Cuba also began as a private estate, the home of the Copeland family. Pamela Copeland, preservationist, naturalist and philanthropist, had a particular interest in gardening with a specific interest in native plants of the Piedmont. Today, thanks to her generosity, Mt. Cuba Center is a public garden specializing in native plants. Come and stroll through the beautiful woodland gardens and check out their native plant trials.
Longwood Gardens is the ultimate public garden. Encompassing over 1000 acres, Longwood has something for everyone. Longwood, too, is the benefactor of a wealthy donor, Pierre DuPont, who purchased the land in 1907 and built a home there. Gardening was DuPont’s lifelong passion. He was well-travelled and had seen many of the great gardens and estates of the world. He followed no plan at Longwood, but built the garden in piecemeal starting with the Flower Garden Walk. When DuPont died in 1954, he left a legacy both horticultural and financial, allowing the garden to grow to become what it is today. We will be spending an entire day exploring Longwood. The evening fountain and light display is not to be missed.