Haverford Homes Will Open Gardens to the Public

The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program in the Philadelphia region features 15 private gardens open to the public on Sunday, May 5.

Admission to each private garden is $5 and benefits the Garden Conservancy. The gardens are open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Reservations are  not required, but you can call1-888-842-2442 or visit www.opendaysprogram.org for descriptions of the gardens and driving directions.

Related:

Haverford Garden Descriptions

From the Garden Conservancy website.

The Garden of Dr. and Mrs. Joel Wasley 

Enter the driveway to the right of the house, turn left and cross the front of the mid-1800s carriage house from the William A. Fisher estate. The mid- and right section of the house was added in 1989; a major addition. Note the long view through the front doors. The Wasleys fell in love with the formal gardens of Italy and France and have partnered their style accordingly, turning to Ed Lindemann (PHS flower show manager for many years) for the original layout and payment design. Note the intensely planted low gardens designed to be looked down upon. The collection of dwarf boxwood includes many varieties with a special one from the Rose Garden at the White House. Handsome ironwork includes a garden gate from the Riddle estate (owner of Man of War) and a trellis behind the garden pool is composed of elevator doors from a brownstone in Manhattan made years ago. The garden has been developed along strong architectural lines, taking advantage of changes in elevation to underscore the division of the garden into separate rooms. Annual plantings give summer color; the urns and garden figures add to the green architecture and views from the house. Dr. Wasley does all the gardening work himself; a labor of love. Retrace your steps and exit the garden to the left of the house.

The Garden of Reggie and Frank Thomas

The Thomas garden is about twenty five years old. Originally, the site offered many challenges. It was located over the ruins of Cheswold (The Alexander Cassatt Mansion), and had virtually no landscaping except for a few specimen trees. The area around the cottage-style house was either paved or steeply sloped. Over the years, the site has been substantially changed to create a series of garden rooms seamlessly flowing from the house to a hidden pool with its own summer landscape. In spring, drifts of daffodils and tulips reign over the landscape. In summer, hydrangea and clematis provide delightful sweeps of color as roses clamber over the house and fences. While the gardens have a formal structure, they have been planted to achieve a sense of romance, profusion, fragrance, and privacy. Benches throughout the property offer quiet places to sit and observe nature. The newest bench in the rose garden is situated within a box hedge that is being trimmed over time to mimic the shape of the bench. The stone wall in the front terrace garden is made from salvaged face stone from the original mansion and the grass steps down the sloping back garden transverse Cheswold ruins under the slope. The garden was designed to be viewed from various central window axes and upper-floor decks.