Saturday—a soaker of a day during the Philly Fling—ended with our banquet dinner at Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden.![]()
Stoneleigh, once a family home and garden, transitioned from private to public ownership in 2016. The children of the late owners, John and Chara Haas, donated the 42-acre estate to Natural Lands, a land conservation nonprofit. Stoneleigh opened as a public garden in May 2018 and welcomes visitors (free of charge) to celebrate the natural beauty and the importance of biodiversity (read more here). Cool, right?
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As I recall we had about an hour to tour the garden before we were invited (allowed) inside the home for dinner. Our group was split into two and took off on guided tours around the estate. If you know me you know I don't do well with guided tours, I ended up abandoning the group and just wandering on my own.
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A dying Platanus × hispanica, the London plane tree, at the front of the home had been cut back and allowed to stay in place, providing an inspiring (kinda spooky) habitat. It is cabled for safety, so it's not going to fall over on anyone.![]()
I was pleasantly surprised to find plantings of sarracenia.
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And a Magnolia macrophylla with yucca.
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Interesting pond feature.
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And a long-view pergola.
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What looks to be another dying tree left standing.
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Exploring around the home now, with it's interesting decorative cement work.
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And opunita!
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With a lot of ripening fruit.
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What an unexpected perimeter planting!
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