Tanger Arboretum

Last weekend my husband and I spent the weekend in Lancaster County, PA. We’ve been to Amish country many times, and honestly- how many smorgasbords, Amish farms, and quilt shops can one enjoy in a single lifetime? Instead of doing “the Amish thing” we decided to drive around the town of Lancaster itself and see what we could find to do. As we drove around the downtown district we noticed signs for Wheatland, President Buchanan’s home. We followed the signs to a beautiful historic neighborhood. Much to our delight we discovered that Wheatland is also the home of the Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum. The arboretum provides detailed maps of all the gardens and trees on the estate for the visitor to explore all on his or her own.

Now, not being from the South (I’m a Pacific Northwest Girl), I don’t have much experience with many of the trees I saw there. For example, I don’t know much about Magnolias. I didn’t know that the magnolia grandiflora produced a fruit. But, there it is!

I also had never even heard of a Franklin tree (franklinia alatamaha). What beautiful flowers! John and William Bartram discovered a grove of these trees in Georgia back in 1765 and named it after their good friend Benjamin Franklin.

Of course, the arboretum contains the obligatory Crape Myrtle (lagerstroemia indica). Being rather new to this part of the country, I’ve mistaken them for late-blooming lilacs from a distance. I want one.

Wheatland boasts a kitchen garden of its own, which I will discuss another day. However, I did find these Black-eyed Susans beautiful. They are much smaller and more delicate than the giant cone-flower variety I have in my own yard. I prefer the smaller ones, I think.

We finished our tour with a moment in Wheatland’s flower garden, brimming with phlox.