Text and photos ©Nancy J. Ondra
Wow, it’s been crazy around here for the last two weeks. One exciting thing was a very special garden visitor here at Hayefield; more on that in a few days, I think. The other big event was at Linden Hill Gardens in Ottsville, Pennsylvania) this past Saturday evening, where they hosted the wrap-up party for the Perennial Plant Association’s annual conference, which was held in Philadelphia this year.
After a long day of touring several other Bucks County gardens (and a long week packed with lectures, tours, and a trade show), the die-hard PPA-ers arrived in two buses.
Jerry welcomes arriving PPA visitors
Then the visitors were free to walk up the main path, pick up some lemonade in the greeting barn, and head out into the sales area.
PPA visitors and Linden Hill staff
From there, visitors dispersed all over the farm, some to do some serious plant- and garden-gift shopping, others to seek further refreshments, visit the resident sheep, take a kayak out on the pond, or stroll around the gardens.
Standing stones leading to Mount Linden
For this event, Mount Linden was also the site of a water slide, which was popular with the younger crowd well into the evening.
Mount Linden water slide
Walking between Mount Linden and Lake Linden (the farm pond), visitors arrive at the entrance to the Deer-Resistant Garden. Jerry and I co-designed this garden last fall and added many, many more plants this spring and summer.
Deer-Resistant Garden at Linden Hill
At this end, the color scheme is silver, white, and blue, transitioning to white, blue, and pink, and then to blue, pink, peach, and yellow toward the middle.
Deer-Resistant Garden cool-color end
Love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus) and coleus in Deer-Resistant Garden
The farther end of the garden (my favorite) is devoted to richer colors: reds, oranges, bright yellow, and purples.
Deer-Resistant Garden hot-color detail
Leaving this garden, visitors can walk through a gate to see the Long Border, which edges the property along Route 611.
Upper half of Long Border at Linden Hill
Or, they can walk through the Metasequoia Allee that runs behind the Long Border.
Metasequoia Allee at Linden Hill
The newly renovated barn was the site of a buffet dinner and lots of geeky plant talk. The path was lined with baskets of Rozanne geranium (Geranium ‘Gerwat’), the PPA Plant of the Year for 2008. And at the doors, there were pots of golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’), which will be the Plant of the Year for 2009.
The Barn at Linden Hill
PPA Plant of the Year for 2009: Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'
Buffet in the barn
After dinner, there was time for more shopping, more strolling, and more plant chat.
Gift Cottage at Linden Hill
Finally, it was time for the hardy partiers to assemble for a farewell speech from Jerry, then head back to the buses.
Jerry addresses the departing PPA crowd
Pam/Digging says:
Nancy, thank you for these beautiful pictures of the Linden Hill Gardens. I’m nuts about that hot-color border in the deer resistant garden and intrigued to know how your kitchen garden will look. I sure I could have stayed longer in the Philly region when we passed through recently. I had no idea there were so many amazing gardens there, but I am so glad I got to see at least one, Chanticleer.
Thanks, Pam! I plan to do a post just about the Deer-Resistant Garden, because it’s one of my favorites. I’m glad you got to enjoy the experience that is Chanticleer; it was neat to read your impressions of it and see your images, because I haven’t been down there for several years. You definitely need to come back up this way, though, because there are many more amazing public and private gardens to tour in this area. Anyone who wants to plan a trip needs to get a copy of A Guide to the Great Gardens of the Philadelphia Region by Rob Cardillo and Adam Levine. You can get it through Rob’s blog Little Green Pixels.
-Nan
The tour looked wonderful Nan. I would like to wander those paths. I would love to hear more about the deer resistant garden too. Not that we have deer problems but usually the plants that deer resist are such hardy souls.
I appreciate your comment, Lisa. The whole deer-resistant thing has been a great learning experience, and it certainly inspires lively conversations among gardeners.
-Nan
I will have to visit the next time I come up your way — what an extraordinary place!
I hope you enjoy your visit, Ann.
-Nan
Hi Nan, we were fairly close to your area, north in the Bloomsberg/Berwick part for a wedding last weekend. I mentioned to the Financier that you were around there somewhere and about Chanticleer. We will plan to see that garden and Linden Hill another time but love seeing your handiwork in those well tended gardens. I am ready to tear my whole garden out and start over after seeing how gardens are made with the right design.
Hey, Frances, I saw your post about that fairytale wedding and wondered what part of PA you were in. I really hope you can come up again to visit. And I’ll give you a little hint: it’s a whole lot easier to garden when you have access to an entire nursery full of cool plants and don’t have to pay for them yourself!
-Nan
Nan: Let me add my voice to the chorus of cheers at the pictures of this great place. Now I have another on my list to visit when I finally get to Chanticleer. I do know a few people who went to the PPA conference but I didn’t spot them in your pictures! LOL! You must be satisfyingly spent.
I wish you could have been there too, Layanee. I kept having to delete some pictures to take more as the evening progressed, so yes, I did lose some of the people shots. And the early evening light was so perfect (I’d never before gotten to see that gardens that late) That I could have used up the whole memory card just on the plants.
-Nan
My lord! How incredible, in every way, EVERY way. Gorgeous grounds, charm in the buildings, plants, and people (and animals). I sure wish there was something like this in Nebraska, some special garden landscape to buy plants, and ESPECIALLY to slide down from (I, for one, would have slid down yer compost hill). Incredible. I guess I’ll go to the webiste to see how such endeavors are funded–that’s what I always wonder.
Thanks, Benjamin. If you do go to the site, you’ll see exactly what you’re looking for: the design-and-installation side of the business.
-Nan
Nan-
Magnificent photos and borders….as only a Nan inspired garden could be. Thanks so much for sharing these gardens with us. And as I told you, I will be coming to visit there soon :) Fran
Keep in mind that the majority of the plantings were designed by Jerry and in place long before I arrived, Fran, and pretty much everyone on the farm has helped with all of them in one way or another. So for most, I can’t take credit for anything more than a little tweaking and some grooming to help them look their best.
I will hold you to your promise to visit!
-Nan
Nan, I think I know who your very special garden visitor was. Congrats on the article in today’s NY Times!
Yep, you guessed it! Thanks so much for the kind comment.
-Nan
Goodness gracious sake’s alive, Nan. What a great article by Anne Raver in today’s NYT. As soon as I saw the title, even before clicking on it I knew it was you. The photo was stupendous, she was really smitten it sounds like. Many congrats, Nan, so deserving too. I had just been thinking how downhill the Home and Garden section had gotten in the last year or so. This article changes my mind!
Aw, Frances, now you’ve made me blush; sheesh. I hope the article gives you another incentive to come up and see Linden Hill for yourself!
-Nan
Nan that place looks like a gardener’s dream! So much so that you might not want to come home at the end of a day of work. I like the allee, neat idea. I’d also like to see more on the deer resistant garden since our deer friends have returned!
Nan, what a wonderful place to work! The setting is beautiful with those lovely old stone buildings.
Like so many others I’m very impressed with the deer resistant garden, and particularly love the hot colors end.
Looks like all the hard work paid off and ended in a very enjoyable day. Thanks for all these fabulous pictures.
How nice to still feel like working in your own gardens at the end of the day.
Can’t wait to hear all about your very special visitor. The NYTs..wow! :)
What should be planted with tulip bulbs so the deer won’t eat them? We’ve listened to Martha Stewart’s clip over and over, but don’t know what should be planted? Maybe we’ve just never heard of this plant, but the deer sure love our tulips!
The plant Jerry recommended was fritillaria bulbs. I don’t know if it actually works, but I guess it’s worth a try.
-Nan