Gardens & Horticulture
Every March visitors flock to the region to see the world's
finest in gardening and horticulture at the weeklong Philadelphia Flower
Show. It is the largest indoor flower show
in the world.
Travel to Philadelphia's Fairmount Park for the Japanese House and Garden. Nestled among garden landscapes designed in the style of early 17th-century Japan, the house was once exhibited in New York's Museum of Modern Art. Ponds, gardens, and quaint footbridges come together here to create an air of quiet serenity. Bartram's Gardens, America's oldest surviving botanical garden, lies across 44 acres of land on the banks of the Schuylkill River. Just 15 minutes from Center City in southwest Philadelphia, the site features an 18th-century home that once belonged to John Bartram, royal botanist to King George III. Make sure you see the Franklinia alatamaha tree; Bartram saved this tree from extinction and named it for Philadelphia's own Ben Franklin! Admission to Bartram's Gardens is free.
A tour of Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Chester County is a must. Located 30 miles from Center City, this exquisite horticultural masterpiece covers more than 1,000 acres of land and contains 40 indoor and outdoor gardens with more than 11,000 plants. Rare plants adorn landscaped terraces, vibrant flowers accentuate breathtaking gardens and illuminated fountains create an enchanting water wonderland. See a show while you're there — Longwood Gardens provides a beautiful stage for the more than 800 performing arts programs on garden grounds year-round. You should also make a point to stop at the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania in Chestnut Hill. As the official arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the 92-acre landscape garden with its picturesque streams and winding paths contains some of Philadelphia's oldest and most rare trees.