The entrance courtyard, the Teacup Garden, is a seemingly chaotic opera of scents and sounds, colors and textures. Surrounding a small, Italianate fountain, seasonally ephemeral plants, native to the subtropics and topics and well adapted to the sweating heat of the Pennsylvania summer, crowd the courtyard.
Here bananas overshadow gingers, bordered by pineapple lilies. Tropical succulents with intricate detail are in danger of being overgrown by a tropical pipevine with intriguing flowers. If it seems chaotic, it is only meant to appear so. Everything is carefully orchestrated to almost overwhelm you with the diversity and beauty of these plants.
Colors are carefully coordinated. Apricot devils trumpets dangle above the glowing embers of rustic orange Coleus, while maroon and burgundy foliage create a darker tone. Containers are everywhere, some with luscious tropical plants, others with more delicate finery. All through the courtyard is the sound of water and, on a summer afternoon, the sound of hummingbird wings.

Descend to a more orderly garden with a small lawn. Here the tropical plants are more formally arranged, interspersed with remnants of a long gone shade garden. Immense Papyrus are underplanted with Bromeliads that anchor one border, while the rice-paper plant with large hand-shaped leaves almost pushes you off the path. Turn the corner and you may find tropical Thai beauty Caladium under the shade of an old oak tree.
 
All images and text copyright ©2007 The Chanticleer Foundation