The Pond Garden at Chanticleer draws visitors like a magnet. Water features always do. Five ponds surrounded by blousy gardens are found at the bottom of the long hillside that begins at the garden’s entrance. This is Part 6 of my visit to Chanticleer during the Philadelphia Area Fling last September.

I explored Chanticleer twice during the Fling — well, once before the Fling began and again during the soiree that Chanticleer treated us to. Lotuses were looking otherworldly with their antennae-like seedpods and satellite-dish leaves.

Golden flowers stood tall…

…and stretched rayed petals like little suns.

Cleome offering up whiskery pink flowers

During the late afternoon of my second visit, I spotted a great blue heron stalking koi. Those koi are huge, but maybe there are smaller ones in there too?

Still as a statue, it waited at the pond’s edge. I waited and watched too.

The koi appeared to pay it no mind. Could they see it?

Slowly it leaned over…

…ready to strike…

…but after a few minutes it straightened back up. I watched for a while and then moved on. I’m afraid I’m not much of a hunter myself.

Those koi are friendly as dogs when they think dinner is forthcoming.

A wisteria arbor overlooks the ponds, offering a shady retreat with throne-like chairs at the base of the hill.

Contemporary planters in a stacked composition overflow with a sedge waterfall.

The Pond Garden path leads through an arching tree tunnel…

…and down to a spring house, where I spotted another water bowl, this one containing a yellow waterlily and duckweed.

Near the Asian Woods, a grassy path winds between the ponds and a screen of tall trees.

The wall of trees opens up to reveal a round glade, where four chairs line up for a view of the Pond Garden.

A perfect resting spot

Turning around, you have a view all the way back up to the big house.

Heading to the Gravel Garden, I spotted a broken grave marker set in the gravel path. “Faithful and True,” it reads, 1934 to 1938, and a few letters of a name, perhaps Dixie. A beloved pet of the Rosengartens, the original owners of Chanticleer, perhaps?

Up next: The beautiful Gravel Garden at Chanticleer. For a look back at the shady Asian Woods at Chanticleer, click here:

To read about my past visits to Chanticleer’s Pond Garden, follow these links:

• Every passage is a destination at Chanticleer, October 2021
• Flowers and rich foliage at Chanticleer’s Pond Garden, June 2016
• Pond Garden, July 2008

__________________________

Digging Deeper

Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!

All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.