The Evolution of Chanticleer’s Gravel Garden

Sponsored by Middletown Nursery

For the past five years, Lisa Roper has managed the Gravel Garden at the renowned public garden Chanticleer in Wayne, Pennsylvania. A gently sloping site planted with a mix of fine textured grasses, gray-leafed Mediterranean plants, drought tolerant perennials, annuals grown from seed, and hardy succulents, the gravel garden is a stunning and unique landscape. Lisa will discuss how form, texture, color and rhythm are carefully considered in her design choices. She will also cover planting techniques, the importance of “editing,” and the technique of using photography to inform design decisions.

Lisa Roper is the Gravel Garden and Ruin horticulturist at Chanticleer, a public garden in Wayne Pa., where she has gardened for 28 years. A graduate of Longwood Gardens Professional Gardener Training Program, she also has a BFA from Cooper Union in NYC, where she studied fine art and photography. Her weekly photographs of Chanticleer may be seen on the Chanticleer website. She lectures widely and has been a guest gardener at Stellenbosch University Garden in Stellenbosch, South Africa, and Great Dixter in Northeam, East Sussex, England. She was a contributor to The Art of Gardening: Design Inspiration and Innovative Planting Techniques from Chanticleer, published in 2015.