With the springtime season fully here, many locals are looking for ways to spend their time outdoors — and the PHS is here to help with that.
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society planted over 100,000 flowering bulbs at its public gardens and landscapes in Center City and along the Ben Franklin Parkway, with full bloom sites now located at LOVE Park, Logan Square, the Rodin Museum and the Azalea Garden at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The society is prompting locals to soak it all in over the next few weeks and take a stroll through these spaces to experience a new array of daffodils, tulips, perennials and shrubs in celebration of the sunnier seasons.
Throughout the spring and summer, LOVE Park will feature an integrated, lush garden style featuring a mix of annuals, perennials, and tropicals with nearly 7,000 bulbs in bloom, as well as spring ephemerals, a news release notes (peak time is now through the end of April). Down the street, Logan Square will boast hyacinths, crocuses, daffodils and over 50,000 multi-colored tulips (peaking now through the end of the month), while the Rodin Museum is currently full of spring perennials like Meadow Sage, Meadow Rue, and Dianthus in vibrant purple and pink hues (blooming now through mid-May).
The Azalea Garden at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (near Boathouse Row) will be chock full with spring bulbs in the next 3 – 5 weeks (peak mid-May) offering a space this season for strolling, packing a picnic or lounging outdoors. Then, along the Delaware River waterfront, PHS will refresh Cherry Street Pier’s gardens with new, tropical-inspired sites, designed to mirror the Caribbean food offerings anticipated at the pier this season, according to the release.
These gardens, among 15 or so others around the city, received nearly 1,000 perennials from the 2024 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show that were repurposed and re-homed after being on display this year. Another spring focal point from the PHS — the pop up gardens on South Street (1438 South St.) and in Manayunk (106 Jamestown Ave.) — are also both open now for the season.
Manayunk’s location has expanded all its plantings to be native North American vegetation this year, while South Street’s location is commemorating its 10th anniversary in 2024. To celebrate the latter, the garden will feature a special $10 cocktail each month beginning in May, culminating with a birthday bash in September to honor all the fun and memories created over the last decade on South Street.
Both gardens will provide creative cocktails, frozen drinks, wines, craft beers, and non-alcoholic options on top of a full food menu spanning sandwiches and snacks. The pop-ups will also continue the tradition of hosting weekly events, including their fan-favorite Garden Party Series and free concerts put on in partnership with Astral Artists.
Additionally, the pop-up gardens’ monthly free Plant Swap events will continue to take place on the first Monday in Manayunk and the first Tuesday on South Street. Throughout the season, guests who visit South Street can acquire new plants for their homes thanks to Solo Real Estate, a Center City-based independent real estate company committed to sustainably investing in communities, the release also notes (more information can be found online).
There will also be plenty of opportunities for locals to join in on hands-on classes as well including a botanical watercolor class where you can discover your inner artist or a composting class to learn how to turn trash into garden treasure.
To find out more information on the PHS Pop-Up Gardens, visit phspopupgardens.com and to learn more about the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s gardens around the city, visit phsonline.org for additional information.
