3 Breathtaking Public Gardens to Visit This Summer

By Michelle Mass

Philadelphia —America's Garden Capital——offers more public gardens than anywhere on the continent, many with deep roots in the city's history. Bartram's Garden is one shining example. John Bartram, America's first botanist, built his house on the land in 1731; today the 45-acre destination is considered the oldest botanical garden in the US. "We've just completed a $2.7 million renovation of the John Bartram House," says Bartram's Executive Director Maitreyi Roy, noting a new cedar-shake roof and a restoration of the conservatory. This summer, the team starts work on a walking trail connecting the Ann Bartram Carr Garden to Center City and South Philadelphia. On Friday nights, nature lovers are invited to picnic on the 47-acre Chanticleer in Wayne. The country home-turned-public garden features seasonal blooms, shady greenery, and even agricultural crops. Germantown's Wyck House sits on 2.5 acres and and is widely recognized as the oldest rose garden in its original plan in America—several of the garden's varietals would be extinct if they hadn't survived here. From 1690 to 1973 this National Historic Landmark, with more than 80 varieties of roses, was home to nine generations of a Quaker family. "Visitors love the history and the setting that evokes the pleasures of family gatherings," says Rocky Query, cochair of the Wyck Association. Gather away (but leave the rosebuds)!    Lifestyle