Greater Philadelphia Gardens

Guided Tours

Arboretum at the Barnes Foundation

An exceptional collection of rare and unusual mature trees and woody plants, perennial gardens, rose garden, lilacs, woodland, and ornamental ferns create an unparalleled environment for horticulture education.

Awbury Arboretum

19th-century Quaker Estate with 55-acre, English-style landscape, gardens, ponds and woodland trails.

Bartram's Garden

America's oldest living botanic garden (1728) and National Historic Landmark Bartram House on 45 acres fronting the Schuylkill River.

Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve

134-acre site features native plants in naturalistic setting. Woods, meadows, pond, creek. Tours, educational programs. Self-guided walks all year; guided wildflower walks April through October at 2 pm. Open seven days/week year-round. (Closed Thanksgiving day, and Dec. 24 through Jan. 1.)

Cabrini College Campus

112-acre campus surrounded by native woodland, grand trees, pond, gatehouse, springhouse, carriage house, and mansion of Trumbauer architecture.

Chanticleer

35-acre pleasure garden that displays the beauty of the art of horticulture. Highlights include water and ruin gardens.

Hagley Museum and Library

Located on 235 acres along the banks of the Brandywine River in Wilmington, Delaware, Hagley is the site of the gunpowder works founded by E. I. du Pont in 1802.

Haverford College Arboretum

Majestic trees in a 216-acre campus landscape with a 2.2-mile nature trail, duck pond, 18-acre pinetum, small Asian and perennial display gardens. Open daily for self-guided tours. Guided tours and lectures offered seasonally.

Henry Botanic Garden

of the Henry Foundation for Botanical Research. This historic garden features plants growing naturalistically in the woodland and hillside landscape. Tours, classes, lectures, tea on the terrace and annual plant sale.

Henry Schmieder Arboretum

Mature trees, native woodland, and designed gardens blend with Georgian architecture of many of the college's buildings.

Hortulus Farm Garden & Nursery

A 100 acre 18th Century farmstead and nursery operation with 30 acres of formal gardens including lavish perennial and summer borders, pool and lake gardens, woodland walks, pine and birch allees, and splendid herb and kitchen gardens.

Landscape Arboretum of Temple University Ambler

A living laboratory. Come and learn about women's history and environmental sustainability in the teaching gardens.

Longwood Gardens

World's premier horticultural display garden with 11,000 varieties of plants and 1,050 acres of gardens, fountains, meadows and woodlands.

Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania

92-acre horticulture display garden features a spectacular collection of mature trees in a Victorian landscape. The Arboretum features numerous picturesque spots such as a formal rose garden, Japanese gardens, a swan pond, English gardens, and an elegant Fernery. The Morris Arboretum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the official arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Mt. Cuba Center

Experience naturalistic garden design and native plants at their best at Mt. Cuba Center, the former estate of Mr. and Mrs. Lammot duPont Copeland.

Nemours Mansion & Gardens

French gardens on 300-acre estate recalls the splendors of Versailles in its fountains and sculptures with acres of forest.

Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College

110 acres on college campus featuring 4,000 kinds of plants, including seasonal crocus, roses, and hollies.

Shofuso Japanese House & Garden

The Japanese House and Garden is an example of 16-17th century Japanese residential architecture containing contains all the elements of a traditional house: tatami mat, shoji screens and hibachi heaters. The garden is an integral part of the house. It is an example of a pond and hill style with koi fish. It is ranked #3 by the Journal of Japanese Gardens. There is also an excellent example of a teahouse where tea masters perform monthly tea ceremonies for preregistered guests.

The Highlands Mansion & Gardens

44 acres encompass Mansion, 2-acre formal garden and nine outbuildings, including bank barn, springhouse, and cottage.

The Philadelphia Zoo

America's first zoo includes diverse horticultural collections of trees, shrubs, and plants.

Tyler Arboretum

Tranquil 650-acre historic arboretum with unique plant collections, state champion trees, meadow maze, adult and children's education programs, historic buildings, and 20+ miles of hiking trails.

Welkinweir

Welkinweir's 197-acres of permanently protected land offer extensive naturalistic areas and an arboretum of unusual, exotic ornamentals.

Winterthur

A du Pont family country place with garden inspired by the Brandywine Valley landscape. Admission includes garden tram ride, garden access, museum tour, self-guided tour of garden and galleries.

Wyck

Historic house that was the home of nine generations of a Quaker family who were involved in horticulture. Features early 19th century garden of roses and an heirloom vegetable garden.

 

We encourage you to discover what each garden, arboretum or historic house has to offer and to learn about lesser-known gems that you might like to visit as well.

 

Bloom Calendar

Be sure to check out our Bloom Calendar.