PHS Partner Location
Join landscape designer and horticulturist Wambui Ippolito for a family-friendly exploration of the new Athenaeum Garden, created by PHS, and discover the stories rooted in Philadelphia's gardening traditions. Through observation, storytelling, and hands-on activities, children and adults alike will become "garden detectives," uncovering how gardens connect people to history, nature, and one another.
Investigate the garden's historic iron urns, ancient Pennsylvania stones, and native plants while discovering the colors, textures, scents, and seasonal changes that make gardens such special places. Along the way, participants will learn how generations of gardeners have helped shape Philadelphia and explore the many ways gardens continue to inspire curiosity, creativity, and community.
Perfect for families and budding naturalists of all ages.
The garden is located at St. James Place & S. Randolph Street behind The Athenaeum building at 219 S. 6th Street.
Wambui Ippolito is an award-winning landscape designer and horticulturist whose work is inspired by her childhood in Kenya's Great Rift Valley. In 2021, she won “Best in Show” at the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show and was named by Veranda magazine as one of "11 Revolutionary Female Landscape Designers and Architects Everyone Should Know." A graduate of the New York Botanical Garden's School of Professional Horticulture, she designs gardens that connect people with nature and promote wellbeing.
October 03, 2026
The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, 219 S 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106