America's Garden Capital
In the Garden with Andrew
Andrew Bunting. Photo courtesy of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Last week, I was on a conference call for the annual meeting of the Greater Philadelphia Gardens consortium, an organization with the slogan “Philadelphia: America’s garden capital.” It’s true. In addition to the consortium’s 30-plus gardens, our area has dozens of other horticultural and botanical gems to explore. Just today, I visited some historic properties and gardens in Germantown for the first time: the Wyck Historic House and Garden, the Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion and Garden, and Grumblethorpe, the former home of the 18th-century merchant John Wister.
Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College. Photo: Andrew Bunting
In Swarthmore, we have the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College right in our backyard, with its multiple beautifully designed campus gardens. The arboretum also boasts one of the finest collections of trees, shrubs, and vines in the world — as well as what is arguably one of the top five magnolia collections globally.
Taylor Arboretum in Wallingford (owned by Widener University since 2018) is a little gem I recently reacquainted myself with. It has some wonderful mature specimens of trees and shrubs, and myriad walking paths along Ridley Creek. Another gem, in Media, is the Tyler Arboretum, which has an original collection of Painter Trees, named for the family that planted them on what was then their family farm. These include many conifer species and a massive specimen of Ginkgo biloba. Tyler also boasts impressive collections of conifers, cherries, magnolias, and many native trees.
You don’t have to go far from Swarthmore to find some of the greatest horticultural institutions in the world. It takes less than half an hour to get to Chanticleer in Wayne. Turned into a public garden about 30 years ago, this former estate ranks as one of the finest designed gardens on the planet — truly among the best of the best when it comes to plantsmanship and garden design. Then there’s the relatively new Stoneleigh Gardens (now owned by the Natural Lands Trust), located on the former Haas estate in Villanova, which features native plantings. In addition, not far from Chanticleer and Stoneleigh, you can find the campus arboreta of Haverford College and Villanova University.
One of my favorite local garden destinations is the Jenkins Arboretum in Devon. It features a beautiful collection of azaleas, rhododendrons, and related species, as well as many different kinds of complementary ground-covering perennials.
Travel south along Route 1 to Kennett Square, and you will find Longwood Gardens, the granddaddy of local gardens, which rivals the greatest gardens of the world. In addition to boasting one of the largest conservatories anywhere, Longwood is home to more-than-impressive features like its Fountain Garden, Italian Water Garden, and Topiary Garden.
Further south still, in northern Delaware, Dupont estates and gardens abound. The gardens at the Winterthur Museum, the Nemours Mansion, the Hagley Museum and Library, and the Mt. Cuba Center are all worth visiting. And, when you’re in Wilmington, the gardens around the headquarters of the Delaware Center for Horticulture are worth a peek.
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society maintains many public gardens and landscapes throughout Philadelphia, including at Logan Square. Photo: Andrew Bunting
To our north, Temple University’s Ambler campus is another great campus arboretum. Like the Mt. Cuba Center, Stoneleigh Gardens, and Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve in New Hope, it is a must-see for wildflowers. Further north, in Point Pleasant, Bucks County, you can visit the magical Gardens at Mill Fleurs.
I love the combination of sculpture and gardens at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey, across the Delaware River. And 40 minutes south of Hamilton, you can find the Barton Arboretum and Nature Preserve of Medford Leas.
A public garden in front of a tiny historic gas station on 20th Street in Philadelphia. Photo: Andrew Bunting
Back on this side of the river, Philadelphia is rightly known as the birthplace of American horticulture. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, founded in 1827, is the oldest horticultural society in the United States. It maintains many terrific free and accessible public gardens and landscapes throughout the city and its suburbs. These include the Azalea Garden, Logan Square, and the gardens of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Rodin Museum. The society even maintains a garden at a tiny historic gas station on 20th Street, just south of Cherry.
Other PHS treasures around the city of Philadelphia include pop-up gardens with drinking and dining options, like the South Street Pop Up Garden and the recently opened Manayunk Pop Up Garden. This month, the Gateway Garden at Drexel University will open on Market Street. The Navy Yard has many gardens and parks, and you can find horticultural installations and pocket parks all along Philly’s Delaware River waterfront.
Finally, the 19 diverse gardens of Meadowbrook Farm — the former estate garden of J. Liddon Pennock, a florist who exhibited at the Philadelphia Flower Show for many years — can be found just outside the city in Jenkintown, Abington Township.
No wonder Philadelphia is known as America’s garden capital!
For more information about local gardens, visit the Greater Philadelphia Gardens consortium online at americasgardencapital.org.
Send your gardening questions to editor@swarthmorean.com. Put “Garden” in the subject line.
Andrew Bunting is vice president of public horticulture at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and vice president of the Swarthmore Horticultural Society.
