2018 - Page 4 of 7 - Andrea Whitely Garden Consultant

As a professional Garden Consultant, I like to think that everything I touch turns to green, however much like everyone else I sadly, must admit that I have my disasters from time to time too.

A week ago, I had a very healthy-looking six-year-old lime tree, beautifully clipped into a neat ball shape, standing about five feet tall and sitting in front of a very tidy planting of three Pyrus ‘Capital’, which have not even shown a single sign of Autumn leaf loss, is there such a thing as an evergreen ornamental pear? anyway, another story…moving on…the lime tree is now DECEASED, DEAD, GONE, NO TURNING BACK!

Granted, that darn tree, despite plenty of flowers has never had a single lime on it and in recent times, I have given it a very stern talking to however I was not expecting this kind of reaction.

Here’s the main stem-no signs of collar rot-no sign of life either

This lime has been loved, nurtured, given compost, given Potassium as well as a complete citrus fertilizer and up until a week ago looked very healthy. This plant has been treated well. It has been watered in the warmer months and mulched and now this!

Here are some of the possible causes of death:

Scale?-no evidence of any scale

Citrus Leaf Minor?-no evidence of that either

Collar rot?-mulch not pressing up against the trunk of the tree-no signs of collar rot

Armillaria?-according to the Department of Agriculture in Western Australia “Citrus trees affected by Armillaria root rot show decline with leaf yellowing and leaf drop. They may set a very heavy fruit crop in spring but collapse and die when the weather gets hot in summer.

Armillaria appears under the bark of affected trees as fan-shaped mycelia mats with a strong mushroom odour.” There’s no funghi, I have had no fruit and it is winter and the weather is cold so I’m eliminating that.

Phytophthora? “Phytophthora root rot in citrus is caused by the pathogenic fungi P. citrophthora and/or P. nicotianae. Below-ground symptoms are the loss of feeder roots. Above-ground symptoms are a loss of vigour and spindly growth.” says AgricWA It could be this but I’m not convinced.

Sooty Mould? There’s no blackening of the stems, so I am also ruling this out

Nematodes? I am thinking maybe, citrus nematodes (Tylenchus semipenetrans). Well, it could be them, they are microscopic but I will not know until I remove the tree and check out the roots of the plant and very difficult to diagnose.

So, what’s wrong with my lime tree? I have to admit that I am stumped, I don’t know what’s wrong with it but here’s my solution…

I’m ripping it out, goneski, it’s taking far too much of my energy and valuable time to diagnose the problem and it has never given us a single LIME-space is at a premium at my place and so it’s goodbye to you, lime tree!

Looks like I will be buying limes for my Gin and Tonic next Summer

….and now for the biggest (and I do feel guiltily mercenary) is…. what is going to replace the lime…it’s off to the garden centre for me….retail therapy fixes all woes.

Over the years, I have had the very great fortune of visiting many really spectacular gardens in many parts of the world but for some reason, there are a few which stay with you, like visiting an old friend, except that you have never met them before and may never pass that way again. I cherish moments like these and will always fondly remember one amazing day…..

Last year, during what I am calling my 2017 Pennsylvania Immersion, following the Garden Writers Association annual conference in Buffalo NY, I was right royally treated with visits to incredible places by my hosts Denise Schreiber (Pittsburgh) and Eva Monheim (Philadelphia).

I was lucky enough to be a guest of the team at Chanticleer Garden. I visited on a stunning, sunny, summers’ day, with fellow GWA members Eva Monheim and Louise Clarke. We were warmly greeted by Bill Thomas, Executive Director & Head Gardener who welcomed us to the garden and put us into the very safe hands of our fellow GWA member, friend and guide-for-the-day Dan Benarcik. Dan knows every inch of this gardeners paradise and generously gave his time to share his wealth of knowledge of this beauteous place. We arrived when the car park was empty (we were the first to arrive) and first in the garden gate. This is always a special kind of moment for those of us writing about gardens because we get to see the gardens “untouched” by the day if you like.

Dan Benarcik, Eva Monheim, Louise Clarke and Me

Chanticleer garden is a 40-acre botanical garden located in Wayne, Pennsylvania about a thirty-minute drive from Philadelphia.

Here’s a little excerpt from Chanticleer’s website which shares the story of the garden.

“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 an 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.

Dreaming of this lawn and a beautiful green vista like this

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., purchased 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 nine-member Board of Directors, six of whom are Rosengarten relatives, oversees The Chanticleer Foundation. The garden opened to the public in 1993. There is 20 full-time staff, of whom two manage facilities and 14 are gardeners and groundskeepers.”

I have so many photos. How do I select just a few to give you an inkling of the magic of this place?

Lush. green long vistas of lawn. brightly colored Adirondack chairs to sit and rest for a bit and admire Belladonna Lillies or Naked Ladies popping up in the lawn. I have to say we did not rest for a single minute, though, too much to see!

Who wants to come sit here with me and read a book?

…attention to detail, fresh flowers in a bowl of water-so simple yet so beautiful

Vignettes of gorgeousness at every turn. Incredibly innovative container planting and then there is that black dining table set as the centerpiece of the home in ruins with a stunning succulent-filled, grand fireplace.

The dining room in the ruins-what a table!

The stunning water-filled “dining table”

What you can’t see is how gorgeous this is on the inside

Container envy?

This says it all really, this tiny gate takes you through into the vegetable garden

Everything was perfectly executed in this garden, not a single weed, not a single plant that looked tired or ready to be removed from its bed.

At each section of the garden, visitors can find an individually crafted box containing an up-to-date list of plants in that garden bed

In the winter time, some the staff get busy and repurpose wood from the trees that have reached the end of their lives and it is turned into carefully handcrafted seating and decorative pieces which are scattered through the gardens in the following spring. These pieces are art in their own right.

If you ever get the opportunity to visit Chanticleer Gardens, don’t let it pass you by, grab it with both hands. You will need hours to see it all and even then you still will miss things and want to return.

This is a very special part of the world and I am very grateful to have walked those garden paths, in such wonderful company, even just once.

Thanks to Bill Thomas and Dan Benarcik for an unforgettable day.

Year: 2018

We have had a death in the family

Chanticleer, I’m Dreaming About You!