Getting Involved: A Pathway to Gardening

In the Garden with Andrew

Andrew Bunting. Photo courtesy of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

On a recent Saturday, a large group of volunteers gathered to transform the grounds of the Wesley AME Church in Swarthmore. The gathering was inspirational on many levels. For some participants, it was their entrée to volunteering and perhaps to gardening.

If you live in Swarthmore or elsewhere the Delaware Valley and want to learn gardening, getting involved in any of our local horticultural institutions is a great pathway. Many of them have volunteer programs integral to their operations.

In our backyard, the Scott Arboretum’s Arboretum Assistant program trains volunteers to help in a multitude of ways, from planting to pruning to garden cleanup. 

The Swarthmore Horticultural Society maintains 13 local gardens, including those at the post office, the war memorial, the Swarthmore Co-op, and Centennial Park, as well as Gateway Garden near Baltimore Pike and the clock garden at the Swarthmore train station. All these gardens are 100% maintained by volunteers of all skill levels. On our team, we are fortunate to have world-class gardeners like Charles Cresson, who are always willing to share their knowledge and expertise with gardening newcomers. For more information on volunteering with the Swarthmore Horticultural Society, visit the website.

Kim Scott is a volunteer for the Swarthmore Horticultural Society, which cares for 13 borough gardens. Photo: Corey Ullman

Philadelphia is rightly called America’s garden capital: americasgardencapital.org. The Greater Philadelphia Gardens consortium includes 36 public gardens within a 50-mile radius of the city, among them Longwood Gardens, Jenkins Arboretum, Tyler Arboretum, Morris Arboretum, Delaware Center of Horticulture, and, of course, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Almost all of them offer volunteer opportunities.

Founded in 1827, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has always been volunteer-based. In late winter, for the last 190 years, volunteers have convened to put on the Philadelphia Flower Show. That tradition continues today, as thousands of well-versed and novice volunteers participate in myriad roles. When I came to the Scott Arboretum as an intern in 1986, I was quickly recruited to volunteer at the flower show, where, in 1987, I helped out in the Horticourt. The show offers wonderful opportunities for all types of volunteers — all are welcome.

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Tree Tenders group trains volunteers to become stewards of street trees in their communities. Tree Tenders lead community-based planting projects, teach other volunteers how to maintain street trees, and advocate for planting them. The society also collaborates with hundreds of community vegetable gardens in Philadelphia and beyond. These community-based gardens are a great avenue not only to grow your own vegetables, but also to engage with the local community and volunteer. For further information on volunteering for PHS: phsonline.org/volunteer/for-individuals.

Volunteers are also welcome at the free public garden Meadowbrook Farm in Jenkintown, as well as at our many local public landscapes, including the Azalea Garden, Rodin Museum Gardens, Logan Circle, Eastern State Penitentiary, and the Navy Yard. 

Our area also has myriad garden clubs and many very active plant societies, like the Mid-Atlantic Hardy Plant Society, the Liberty Bell Gesneriad Society, the Philadelphia Cactus and Succulent Society, the North American Rock Garden Society: Delaware Valley Chapter, the American Rhododendron Society: Greater Philadelphia Chapter, and the Herb Society of America: Philadelphia Unit. The list goes on.

It could be argued that there are more volunteer opportunities in horticulture and gardening within 30 miles of Swarthmore than anywhere else in the country! When I was just starting to learn about gardening 40 years ago, I found opportunities at the YMCA, 4-H, and Future Farmers of America. All were great gateways to a lifetime of gardening.

Send your gardening questions to editor@swarthmorean.com.

Andrew Bunting is vice president of public horticulture at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and vice president of the Swarthmore Horticultural Society.