In Chadds Ford, we are beyond lucky to be at the epicenter of so many wonderful gardens, including a plethora owned and managed by our neighbors. Enjoy this Gardens of Chadds Ford series.

Holy hostas! 🌿 Chadds Friends, you are going to have to see this to believe it. A few weeks ago, I had the good fortune of touring the gardens of WynEden, an almost 10-acre property owned and cared for by one of our own Chadds Ford neighbors.

Pond at WynEden in Gardens of Chadds Ford

Wayne Guymon has, for as long as he can remember, loved plants. Growing up in the desert, he yearned to create his own lush green gardens, unlike anything that thrived in his hometown community in Utah.

After a successful career from coast to coast, Wayne settled in Chadds Ford to realize his green garden dreams. He spent many decades curating, culling, growing, sourcing, and bringing to life the most beautiful garden I’ve ever been fortunate enough to experience.

My smartphone photos won’t do it an ounce of justice, and the word “garden” doesn’t really convey the magical landscape you enter when opening his garden gate.

Wayne Guymon, owner of WynEden in Gardens of Chadds Ford

The deep greens. The rich bird songs. The cool shade. The ponds and water features. The pops of color everywhere. The intentionally designed vistas, along which subtle but stunning changes in colors, heights, and styles draw your eye from one stop to the next. And Chadds Friends, I can’t even explain the magical feeling walking through the bamboo arch along the woodland walkway. It’s surreal.

We’re beyond lucky to be surrounded by incredible gardens. Longwood. Winterthur. Chanticleer. Stoneleigh. This list goes on. Each of these gardens is amazing in its own right. But there’s something uniquely special about a nearly 10-acre garden that reflects the heart and soul of just one man.

I’m far from the first writer attracted to his glorious gardens. After our morning tour, Wayne welcomed an afternoon gaggle of 50 with a Smithsonian tour group. He’s been featured in some of the most prominent gardening publications.

Experiences like these remind me how lucky we are to live where we live. How is this even real life in our own town?! 🤯

Not only is Wayne an incredible gardener, but he also graciously shares his gardens with others. He said he believes gardens are for sharing, and his generosity with his time, knowledge, and passion to welcome so many into his private space embodies that beautifully.

Embracing the work of nature

Every gardener has unique practices and values they imbue into their living works of art. For Wayne, working with nature rather than controlling it is paramount to his gardening style, reusing materials, welcoming “unexpected visitor” plants, and using limited chemicals on the grounds.

Over the years, he’s removed more than 100 ash trees due to emerald ash borer blight. He recycles all those trees and uses them as wood-chip walkways, edging along pathways, and visual dividers between sections of his garden.

He values the volunteer plants that make their home among his. What is a weed really if not just a plant in the wrong place? And if something lovely wants to live among the plants he placed intentionally, then who’s to say it doesn’t belong?

I asked how climate change is impacting his gardens. He mentioned that our area has moved from zone 6B to zone 7, reflecting the shift of a warming climate. As a result, he’s incorporated new plants that thrive in warmer weather into his garden, which may not have thrived in decades past. More sporadic rain, however, can leave shallow streams that should flow vigorously.

While the impacts on a specific garden can be mixed, being in such close connection with plants every day offers a clear reminder that our climate is changing, and as he does with the plants he selects for his garden, we must adapt.

Visiting WynEden was an honor and a brilliant reminder of how much beauty exists in our own community. If you’re interested, Wayne occasionally offers tours of his garden to neighbors. It’s a beautiful place with miles of paths meandering through a variety of different ecosystems.

What a gem! ✨

Enjoy this gallery of photos of WynEden

Gardens of Chadds Ford Series

Gardens are an exemplary display of hope. Seeds planted today won’t yield fruit for weeks, months, and sometimes many years. We plant today in anticipation of a prosperous future for the many generations ahead that the garden will serve.

In Chadds Ford, we are beyond lucky to be at the epicenter of so many wonderful gardens, including a plethora owned and managed by our neighbors. As a reminder of the hope and beauty present in our community, come along on this series of visits through the gardens (from big and small to magical to practical, and everything in between). Look what our neighbors are building and sharing with each other as the embodiment of a thriving future.

Know someone with a garden to feature? Let me know. I’d love to visit and check it out.