Welcome to Chanticleer
Within 30 minutes of Philadelphia, Chanticleer is one of the great gardens of the region. We are celebrating two anniversaries in 2013 - our centennial as the Rosengarten estate and 20th year as a public garden. Come discover why London's Financial Times calls us "planted to perfection."
The Chanticleer Story
The Chanticleer estate dates from the early 20th-century, when land along the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad was developed for summer homes to escape the heat of Philadelphia. Adolph Rosengarten, Sr., and his wife Christine chose the Wayne-St. Davids area to build their country retreat. The family's pharmaceutical firm would become part of Merck & Company in the 1920s.
The Rosengartens hired architect and former classmate Charles L. Borie to design the house, which was completed in 1913. Landscape architect Thomas Sears designed the terraces as extensions of the house. A 1924 addition converted the summer home into a year-round residence and the family moved here permanently.
Mr. Rosengarten's humor is evident in naming his home after the estate "Chanticlere" in Thackeray's 1855 novel The Newcomes. The fictional Chanticlere was "mortgaged up to the very castle windows" but "still the show of the county." Playing on the word, which is synonymous with "rooster," the Rosengartens used rooster motifs throughout the estate.
Adolph and Christine gave their two children homes as wedding presents. They purchased a neighboring property for son Adolph, Jr. and his bride Janet Newlin in 1933. It is now the site of the Ruin. Daughter Emily's house, located at today's visitor entrance, was built for her in 1935. It is presently used for offices and classrooms.
Adolph, Jr., bought his sister's portion of the estate following her death in the 1980s. He didn't move into the main house, but used it for entertaining and kept it as it was when the family lived there. The house is open for tours by reservation. Adolph, Jr., left the entire property for the enjoyment and education of the public following his death in 1990. A seven-member Board of Directors, five of whom are Rosengarten relatives, oversees The Chanticleer Foundation. The garden opened to the public in 1993. There are 17 full-time staff, of whom two manage facilities and 12 are gardeners and groundskeepers.
News & Events
Full Parking Lot
Our parking lot may fill on busy weekends and on Friday evenings and you may need to wait until there is an opening. To avoid this, come when the weather is not perfect and arrive earlier in the day. Car pooling helps!
Photography Workshops
Noted Photographers return:
Roger Foley on June 21-23 and
Allen Rokach on October 25-27.
Early Openings in 2013
The garden will open at 8:00am on Saturday July 27th, and Saturday, September 21st.
Woody Plant Conference
The conference will be held at
Scott Arboretum on Friday, July 19, 2013.
For more information see the Woody Plant Conference website.
Edible Plants!
Join Chanticleer gardener Emma Seniuk at the Paoli Library to explore vegetables and herbs. Register on the Paoli Library website.
Chanticleer In the News
High praise from the
Philadelphia Inquirer, and from London's Financial Times.
The Art of Gardening at Great Dixter
Britain's fabulous Great Dixter is holding a series of symposia on May 18-25, September 7-14, and November 2-9, 2013. Learn how to garden the Great Dixter way with Head Gardener Fergus Garrett.
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