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Parks and Gardens
The Quakers, avid gardeners, believed that to know God was to know and understand His creations; their most famous disciples were John Bartram and his son, William, who studied and collected the fascinating flora they found in the New World. From their farm along the Schuylkill River they disseminated American plants as far as Europe. Among their local customers were the Painter brothers, Quakers who farmed in Delaware County. They planted over 1,000 trees on their property, which is now part of Tyler Arboretum, one of the largest and oldest arboretums on the East Coast.
In 1798, the Peirce brothers began planting trees in stately rows on their Kennett Square farm, turning it into a fine arboretum. By the turn of 20th century, when it had deteriorated to the point that the trees were destined for a sawmill, Pierre Samuel du Pont rescued Peirce’s Park. This enormously successful industrialist-businessman with a love of gardening personally transformed the property into the renowned Longwood Gardens.
As they prospered, Philadelphia families built country homes where they pursued their interest in plants and established extensive gardens. In the 19th century, the Morris siblings built a home for art and plants collected on world travels, which became the Morris Arboretum. Nearby, the Cope family hired the designer of the Capitol grounds in Washington, D.C., to beautify their home with English landscape style gardens, which became the Awbury Arboretum. More recently, 20th century businessmen Adolph Rosengarten, Sr. and Dr. Albert Barnes built suburban homes, Chanticleer and the Barnes Arboretum, respectively, that are contemporary garden showcases.
Today, public enthusiasm and support for gardens is everywhere evident in the Philadelphia area. Numerous college campuses, such as Haverford, Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore, are the sites of arboretums. Historic properties have corresponding historic gardens, such as the 18th-century Physic herb garden at Pennsylvania Hospital, and the antique Rose Garden that honors signers of the Declaration of Independence. New gardens are springing up in revitalized urban neighborhoods. Treasures such as the Azalea Garden and William Penn’s original city squares are vibrant community green spaces enjoyed by the public daily. Over 200,000 visitors attend the Philadelphia Flower Show each spring.
Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park is the city’s grandest legacy of William Penn’s love of green spaces. The 9,000-acre landscape winds through the city; it’s laced with trails and dotted with historic homes, concert venues, athletic fields and gardens, including the splendid Japanese House and Garden known as Shofuso. At Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve and the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, conservationists have preserved the region’s indigenous plants and native habitats for future generations. Looking to the future, Brandywine Conservancy, Welkinweir, Ridley Creek State Park and other regional parks and gardens are leading significant environmental initiatives to guard Penn’s green legacy through the new century.
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