leaf icon
leaf icon
leaf icon
calendar icon
Gardens To Visit
caret icon
Visit a PHS garden or landscape to help build stronger social connections with your community.
For Neighborhoods
caret icon
Explore programs that create healthy, livable environments and increase access to fresh food.
For Gardeners
caret icon
Engage with PHS on gardening, whether you’re an expert or a beginner.
About Us
caret icon
Get to know our story, become a part of our staff, or see what is in the news with PHS.
The Flower Show

Our Story

about our hero

PHS uses horticulture to advance the health and well-being of the Greater Philadelphia Region.
 

PHS believes in the power of horticulture to make positive social and environmental change. As a community, we invest our time, passion, and money into public gardens and landscapes that further our cause. 

PHS was founded in 1827. While many things have changed for us over time, our main focus has not wavered. In 2019, PHS adopted Vision 2027, a new strategy that fully commits PHS to using horticulture to advance the health and well-being of the Greater Philadelphia region. Driven by a diverse community of more than 300,000 supporters, volunteers, and gardeners, PHS uses all its activities to advance four impact priorities:

  • Creating healthy living environments
  • Increasing access to fresh food
  • Expanding economic opportunity
  • Building meaningful social connections
     

Gardening for the Greater Good

PHS Projects

Explore the map of all PHS field and community projects. Enter your address into the entry bar to locate our work in relation to your community and across the region.
 

View Larger Map

Our initiatives and resources in partnership with community groups and thousands of city residents enable PHS to continue making the Greater Philadelphia region a more livable, vibrant place to live and work.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement

Our full DEI statement and activities have been captured in this document.

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society believes that gardening and horticulture belong to everyone. 

We work in partnership with community members to promote the benefits of gardening and connect people in our region with gardening-related experiences in their neighborhoods and across the region. We welcome everyone to partner with us and together create beautiful, healthy and sustainable communities.

We acknowledge that there are oppressive systems at work within our communities. We use gardening, horticulture, and job training as tools to break down barriers to equity. PHS does not tolerate any form of harassment, discrimination, or oppression. We welcome thoughtful dialogue and criticism in our effort to use horticulture to effect social change. 

We dedicate ourselves to sustaining and promoting diversity in recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, training, provision of compensation and benefits, management of organizational activities and general treatment during employment. PHS actively works to create a community of staff, volunteers, board members, and vendors that reflects the city of Philadelphia.

We recognize that it takes the dedicated effort of many hands to create meaningful change. At PHS we commit to seeking out the expertise of community members in the neighborhoods that we work in when engaging new projects and evaluating existing work. When consulting with community members on projects, we commit to accommodating their needs, integrating their insights into decision-making, and highlighting their contributions.

At PHS, we work to create an environment where all voices are respected and heard. We provide training, mentoring and resources to create a workplace where staff feel welcome and appreciated. Reaching true equity in our communities requires ongoing effort, and in this regard, as an organization we commit to evolution and growth.