Book Review - Chanticleer: A Pleasure Garden

Adrian Higgins and Rob Cardillo has put together a colorful volume to try to encapsulate all of the beauty of Chanticleer Garden in 176 pages. What a valiant effort in futility! I say this not because Chanticleer - A Pleasure Garden was not an enjoyable book in and of itself that depicted snapshots of the garden in all its glory through the spring, summer, and fall seasons with words and pictures. On the contrary, the book was in more ways than one, a window into the minds, hearts, and souls that went into creating, maintaining, and reinventing the pleasure garden that Chanticleer truly is today. I learnt about the deep affection of the Rosengarten family in cultivating Chanticleer and the decades of tender care from a cadre of talented horticulturists, gardeners, and landscape designers who have helped to shape and nurture this prized jewel in the Philadelphia suburbs into its present state.

Within the ten slim chapters, Higgins and Cardillo bring us on a virtual guided tour, starting from the Teacup and Entry Gardens, winding through the Tennis Court and Chanticleer House, and onto the Asian Woods and other parts of this pleasure garden. Stunning pictures of the garden accompany the rich if, at times, overly scientific descriptions of the multitude of unusual plant species hosted within the moderately sized 35-acres of the garden grounds. Included too are the thoughtful design elements that define each space within the grounds uniquely and yet manage to fuse all the individual parts into a cohesive experiential whole at the same time.

Although I have visited Chanticleer on many occasions in the past two years, I have yet to encounter the history of how this charming and verdant estate came to be. This book has definitely enriched how I see and relate to Chanticleer when I visit now. Which brings me back to my earlier remark about Higgins and Cardillo's labor in futility. I stand by this comment because it is my strong belief - as it would undoubtedly be for many who have visited including the authors themselves - that the only way to truly experience the magic and beauty of Chanticleer is to take a leisurely stroll through this pleasure garden in person. And what a pleasure it is!