Paxson Hill Farm, my last Philly Fling post

Paxson Hill Farm, my last post on the Philadelphia-area Garden Fling that happened back in September of 2023. Ya, it's been over a year and I'm finally wrapping up my coverage. This was the second to last stop for me (there were two buses that visited this garden and Mill Fleurs opposite each other). We got off the bus and had no clue what there was to see. Was it a nursery?

Or a garden?

Well there's a path, and we have an hour, so let's explore...

Oh my...

This place is huge!

One of my issues with "garden art" is when you are faced with multiple different styles, themes, materials, etc, all competing for your attention in a small space (gnomes, flowers made of old teacups and saucers on a spike, a wordy sign or two, a cement pig, and on...) but in this garden the different elements were all separated by so much space they were almost in their own worlds. 

I wish the basket for Life's Joys had been larger than...

...the basket for Life's Di ap  intme ts, but as I recall they were the same size.

Eve

And Adam. They stare at each other across the pathway, connected by a metal arbor.

Researching the garden after my visit I rediscovered Pam Penick's 2022 visit which she broke into a series of posts.

I missed so much during this visit!

Then again, I also managed to see a lot.

Word is that the nursery and garden are no longer open (here), so I am glad I got the chance to visit this fantastic collection of spaces.

This bridge was seriously scary, when you're all alone in a huge garden, in the rain, where every surface is slippery and you have no cell service. (I only occasionally ran into another person during my exploration, I had no idea where I was, or where they were most of the time) 

So delecate...

I knew I was back near the entrance now as I ran into a couple of other Flingers who were also moving fast, not wanting to miss the bus.

I didn't even get a chance to explore that side of the nursery!

While this post wraps up my Philly Fling coverage, I still have many posts to share from last summer's Garden Fling in the Puget Sound area... and next year's Fling is fast approaching! Memphis in June... more info here.

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Jenny Rose Carey's Northview, during the Philly Fling

Isn't it interesting how differently we each see a garden? And for garden bloggers it's not just how we see it, but how we chose to present it. The Fling offers a crash course in these differences, with dozens of different views of the same plot of land shared across multiple social media channels.

Some bloggers cover a garden like an impartial reporter. Show it all, cover it with an even eye. Others filter their coverage, showing the things that spoke to them. I'm in that second camp. My tastes filter what I show you. Sure, it's not the garden as the owner created it, instead it's the parts of the garden that appeal to my sensibilities. Does that matter? Of course it does. I'm not giving you the complete picture. Then again, you're here for my aesthetic, right?

I was reminded of all this when I read Pam Penick's posts on Jenny Rose Carey's Northview (Pam's Part One, Part Two). Of course, the conditions under which you see a garden also influence how you see it. Pam and I saw this garden on the same day, but Pam's group (we were on two different buses) went first to the Carriage House at the far end of the garden to eat lunch, then explored back towards the front. My group set out to explore as soon as we arrived, ending at the Carriage House for lunch. Reverse views. Whatever the route we took, both Pam and I enjoyed what Jenny Rose Carey created, and her hospitality in opening for the Fling group. On to my view of her garden on a stormy day in September...

The Carey's house. Pam's group went straight down that drive, mine split off to wander.

The first of many mushrooms I would stop to admire.

I had no idea what to expect from this garden, as I'd missed the brief introduction by the front gate (top photo).

The rock garden was looking very promising though...

Oh, and water!

Looking back over my shoulder...

Remnants of trees that once were.

I've never been one to post garden tour visits in the order I saw them in, and here's why I chose to jump to this garden and post about it today...

The fungus was off the charts!

After my two posts earlier this week I wanted to continue the theme of enjoying the beauty nature offers up via fungus, lichen and moss. 

This bench, so geometrically and colorfully interesting.

Even better if you stopped to peer into the center.

This garden provided a great balance of enclosed and open spaces to explore.

And a lot of different seating options. Had the day not been rainy (including torrential downpours) I am sure every one of these seats would have been occupied by chatting Flingers.

I missed this watering can when I did my can-centric post back on in October.

More inviting chairs we weren't able to use.

Complete with great patina.

Everyone loved the conical planters outside the she-shed (me too!)

I was also envious of the potting/storage area.

And greenhouse!

Pam identified this private seating area as the Castle Garden, pointing out that it was enclosed by a crenellated evergreen hedge—a fine point that I completely missed.

She also used the word "corncrib" to describe the wooden building here. Who knew!? (not I, obviously).

On such a wet day it was helpful to know this was actually the dry garden.

I wasn't able to get a great shot of the elevated platform built atop a huge old tree.

But it certainly looked like a fun place for the littles that visit to hang out.

Pull up a chair friend, let's talk about this fabulous garden!

Doesn't it just kill you to see so many empty chairs? I feel for our garden hosts that no doubt wanted to see us spending time in the great spaces they've created, rather than just walking thru them.

It was getting close to my group's lunch time, but I had to check out the area behind the home.

There were more mushrooms!

These really did have a purple border!

In the (dry, warm) space we sat down to eat there were copies of Jenny Rose Carey's books available for purchase: Glorious Shade...

And The Ultimate Flower Gardener’s Guide. Jenny Rose Carey is a renowned gardener, educator, historian, and author. She is also the former senior director at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Meadowbrook Farm in Jenkintown. She previously worked at Temple University...first as an adjunct professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture, and then as director of the Ambler Arboretum. You can follow her on Instagram.

To receive alerts of new danger garden posts by email, subscribe here. Please note; these are sent from a third party, you’ll want to click thru to read the post here on the blog to avoid their annoying ads. 

All material © 2009-2023 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.