One balmy Pennsylvania afternoon, last August, I visited my GWA (Association for Garden Communicators) friend, Jenny Rose Carey, in her Philadelphia garden and am sitting here thinking about how beautiful it must be looking right now. Luckily, I took heaps of shots and am so happy to be able to share this very special garden with you.
The family home
Many gardeners forget that green is a colour and just how effective green on green can be.
Jenny Rose is all things horticulture, author, educator and historian but first and foremost a brilliant gardener with a great eye and is the Senior Director at The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Meadowbrook Farm in Jenkintown (more on that stunning property later).
A quiet place to sit
Begonias just beautiful begonias
great use for a stump!
A Bit about Northview….
On Jenny Roses’ website, she writes “Northview’s 4½ acre site was originally part of Wilmer and Anna Atkinson’s 1887 100-acre Victorian Model Farm. Some of the trees planted by Mr. Atkinson (the Founder and Editor of the Farm Journal) remain, including a beautiful 150-year-old Japanese maple. The current property includes the original 1887 farmhouse and carriage house.”
I climbed up to the top to enjoy the view
such a pretty feature
This delightful garden, like many private gardens, I am lucky enough to visit, is a reflection of the gardener who created it, Jenny Rose, it’s an elegant garden that’s for sure. This garden offers both form and function and is so respectful of gardeners who have worked that land. There’s lovely, tasteful pieces of artwork scattered throughout, some whimsy pieces, just for fun, long vistas for the mind to rest and drink in the verdant green lawns and breathe the air around old trees and really experience the many places to sit and just be.
How delightful
Hydrangeas in full bloom
Step through the gate to see what treasures await
Picture perfect arbor
Even the birds get a very cool place to hang out here
You can’t help but breathe deeply as you walk under this canopy
Perfect afternoon light to capture this beauty
I love a good stumpery, look at the beautiful lichen and fungi
Nature has an open invitation to visit this garden
OK, so, I will freely admit that I am a sucker for potting sheds and places where people work behind the scenes (I’m a bit of a sticky beak) in gardens and Jenny Roses’ potting shed is, I think No.1 on my list…it is a thing of beauty in itself, such organization, so many pots, so gorgeous, I could see myself sitting in one of those wicker chairs, looking out over the garden and sipping a hot cuppa…could be my dream Air BNB, in fact! 
The Potting Shed..from the outside, but the real magic is on the inside.
for those times when you need to sit outside your lovely shed
I would like to sit here and drink tea, wouldn’t you?
a lovely garden pathI could sit in that shed for months, looking out at that garden and writing a book…ahh what would I write?…what would I call it? This Philadelphia Life, perhaps……
Jenny Rose and her family generously host visitors to her garden and you can request a visit by contacting her on http://www.jennyrosecarey.com/northview-gardens. It would be a fabulous place to go with a group of like-minded garden-loving pals on a Spring or Summers day. 
Thank you, Jenny Rose, for so generously sharing your garden with me.
Why not…GIve it a try?
The historic fountain in Carlton Gardens-the centrepiece of the display gardens and sculpture exhibition
This is a costume made entirely of flowers
Don’t forget the groovy slippers!
Stunning Floral display
Fancy a dip in this bath?
everything looks good on black
Sunshiny yellow blooms-is that a banana I see?
An Instagram moment here’s proof that I was there.
Orchids, Orchids and more Orchids
a parasol entirely of everlasting flowers
The stunning artwork and floral creations combine for an oooh ahh moment for my friend Lis
BEEEautiful
another shot of this amazing bee created entirely of flowers
A very long wedding table-each place setting created by a different florist
This was fascinating-so many florists participating in The Wedding Table
so much work went into these pieces
More incredible floral art
A really fun display paying homage to Australian home life
Check out the apples along the fence!
Sculpture featured throughout the show, this reminded me of something I saw at the LA Arboretum in 2015
Each display garden was clearly explained with these information sheets
Ultra Urban design
My absolute favourite designer garden-imagine your feet in the rill on a hot day while enjoying a long lunch outdoors
…and finally…have you ever wanted to grow 6! different apples on the one tree?
