Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Gardeners & Nature Lovers - Phila is Spring at Its Best

Philadelphia area gardens and parks are in full bloom in May! Blossoming fruit and dogwood trees, brilliant azealas and wigelias, flowering bulbs and hedges paint a breathtaking landscape.

Some Favorites - Close By
Our Philadelphia Squares are the pride of William Penn's "greene countrie town." Bartram's Garden is the oldest botanical garden in the country. Benjamin Rush Medicinal Garden is located at the historic College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Fairmount Park, the largest in-city park in the world, is replete with 18th & 19th century mansions, statuary, and our famous Boat House Row (you'll find lovely, easy riverside biking trails as well as some of the most challenging mountain biking in the region - Wicked Wissahickon Trail). The Phila Zoo (another Philly first in the nation) is a 42 acre Victorian garden with over 30,000 plant species and 1.600 animals.

Favorites - Farther Afield
Chanticleer is a unique and witty pleasure garden a 1/2 hr drive or train ride from the city. Longwood Gardens, aptly named "The Garden of a Lifetime," is well worth an afternoon or day trip to southern Chester County. Longwood's 1,050 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows, 20 outdoor gardens, 20 indoor gardens within 4 acres of heated greenhouses, 11,000 different types of plants and spectacular fountains are unforgettable (90 minute drive). Winterthur - An American Country Estate (close by Longwood) has 60 acres of naturalistic gardens and famous fairy-tale children's garden, Enchanted Woods.

Find Your Own Favorites
Pennsylvania Gardens
Greater Philadelphia Gardens
Top 10 Philadelphia Area Gardens and Arboretums
Pennsylvania Horticutural Society

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