Discovering Edgewood Gardens:
A Horticultural Journey
“Edgewood” is a private garden in Exton, southeastern Pennsylvania (USDA zone 7a) that has been evolving since 1995. While not open to the public for visits, plants can be ordered online and purchased at plant sales and presentations.
The garden showcases several thousand hardy plants, trees, and shrubs, thriving in diverse microhabitats including raised beds, xeric beds, bog gardens, woodlands, and cold greenhouses.
Location & Growing Conditions
Our 1.6-acre property sits just below the ridge-line on the Great Valley’s northern side, positioned 300 feet above the valley floor and 600 feet above sea level. This unique location provides perfect drainage and a sheltered southerly aspect, allowing us to successfully grow plants that typically wouldn’t survive in this region. A deer fence protects our diverse collection, which is essential for the garden’s survival.
The garden features a dramatic 40-degree slope extending 400 feet and rising 75 feet, with an acre of native deciduous woodland at the top. The soil is slightly acidic and rocky, and except for the raised beds along the driveway and house, remains in its natural state.
Photography & Documentation
Over the past two decades, we’ve carefully documented our garden’s evolution through more than 20,000 digital images. This extensive collection, available in our Image Galleries, serves both as a visual record and an educational resource for plant enthusiasts.
The photographs capture everything from detailed closeups of rare specimens to sweeping seasonal views of the garden’s transformation. Each image helps tell the story of our diverse plant collection, unusual microhabitats, and the successful cultivation of species that challenge traditional growing zones.
Through these photographs, we aim to share not just the beauty of Edgewood Gardens, but also valuable insights into plant behavior, growth patterns, and successful cultivation techniques.
About John Lonsdale
John has grown a wide variety of alpine and woodland plants and bulbs for more than 40 years and is a recipient of the prestigious Alpine Garden Society Gold Merit Medal. His passion for horticulture has taken him across the globe to study plants in their natural habitats, particularly Trillium species in the southeastern United States.
A committed educator in the gardening community, John regularly contributes articles to various horticultural society publications and lectures widely. His expertise with Cyclamen led to his authoring a chapter on Cyclamen in North America for “Genus Cyclamen in Science, Cultivation, Art and Culture,” published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
John received his Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and spent more than 35 years working in biomedical research, before driving a school bus for 5 years.
Since establishing Edgewood Gardens in 1995, he has combined his scientific expertise with his horticultural passion to create a garden that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in southeastern Pennsylvania.