Garden enthusiast names her top American Edens

Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp gets around. She's a writer, speaker, garden coach and landscaper. And a traveler.

She has combined her work and her travels in "The Visitor's Guide to American Gardens" (Cool Springs Press), which describes more than 400 gardens. With locations, highlights and insights, it's handy for any garden tourist.

Here are some of her recommendations. Visit the websites for schedules, admission fees and special events:

Chanticleer Garden, Wayne, Pa. (chanticleergarden.org) Sharp rates Chanticleer as her favorite garden. Opened on an old family estate in 1993, it covers 50 acres, 30 of which are open to the public. Among the highlights: the Tennis Court Garden, the Orchard, the Asia Woods. Be sure to visit the Ruins. It was an old house that was partially demolished; some walls were left standing "to create the sense of being somewhere else."

Indianapolis Museum of Art (imamuseum.org) There are more than 150 acres of art, gardens, natural areas, a museum and a historic home (Oldfields-Lilly House). Adjacent to the museum is the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park, with woodlands, wetlands, meadows and a 35-acre lake. Also worth visiting is the Garden for Everyone, a multisensory experience.

Minter Gardens, Chilliwack, British Columbia (mintergardens.com) The heavily planted 32-acre garden in the shadow of 7,000-foot Mount Cheam "will dazzle your senses," Sharp promises. Among the features: 100,000 tulips each spring, woodlands and Spirit of the Woods, which incorporates First Nation cultures into garden designs. There's also a water wall ("I spent a lot of time there trying to figure out the mechanics of it," Sharp said.)

Other greats: Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pa. (longwoodgardens.org) Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Md. (montgomeryparks.org/brookside) Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Mich. (meijergardens.org).

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Drink like an American in Frankfurt

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Ask two people for advice on any city and you'll receive two very different view points, reflecting their various tastes, interests and backgrounds. So when I received nearly identical lists of Frankfurt's must-try bars from two people - one in the bar industry, one ad exec/former expat - my antennae went up.

While weekdays may find these bars full of local business types, "The local Germans leave Frankfurt on the weekend to live in the country - leaving Frankfurt to the foreigners," says William Perry, who lived in Frankfurt for two years working as the European Creative for GM and now lives in the United States.

Both Perry and Berlin-based bar expert Bastian Heuser honed in on the following three bars:

Roomers Bar (http://www.roomers.eu/), located within the Roomers hotel, part of the Design Hotels chain, the lounge is known for its sleek decor and pricey drinks.

Gekkos (http://www.gekkos-bar.com/) meanwhile, is an "American-style bar and lounge" within the Hilton Hotel. The drink selection runs to classic cocktails and the bar lays claim to the largest American whiskey collection in the region.

In addition to whiskey-centric drinks like the boozy Brooklyn (Rittenhouse rye, Noilly Prat vermouth, Picon Amer, and Luxardo Maraschino), travelers with well-padded expense accounts will also want to accept the invitation to "Pimp Your Drink" - tipples made with special reserve whiskies, Dom Perignon, and other precious ingredients - and the price tags are roughly triple or quadruple the price of regular cocktails.

Jimmy's (http://www.hessischer-hof.de/de/jimmys-bar-frankfurt) at the Hotel Hessischer Hof is another "American-style bar," with live jazz instead of late-night DJ action. Here, the heavy leather chairs and old-school bartenders invite patrons to enjoy fine cigars and order another round from the Fizzes and Flips and Sours that round out the cocktail menu.

So if whiskey gets top billing in American-style bars, what is the drink of choice in more typical German haunts? According to Heuser, the Aperol Spritz (Aperol topped with sparkling wine or soda) is a top choice, as is wine - which is drawing in more tipplers even at the expense of the selection of excellent local beers.

RECIPE: BROOKLYN COCKTAIL This classic cocktail, a variation on the Manhattan (which uses sweet vermouth), is served at Gekkos.

2 ounces Rittenhouse Rye 1 ounce Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth 1 ounce Amer Picon (a French amaro) 1 ounce Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Maraschino-soaked cherry.

(Edited by Peter Myers and Paul Casciato)

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