PHILADELPHIA, PA – August 13, 2025 - The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) will celebrate community, connection, and its greening progress at the “Love Where You Live” Unity Day in North Philadelphia’s Tioga Hope Garden on Friday, August 22, 2025. The event marks the successful conclusion of PHS’s original “Love Where You Live” (LWYL) Greening Plan and will engage residents as the program moves into its next phase.
Since the launch of this pilot program in 2022, “Love Where You Live” has transformed the Nicetown and Tioga neighborhoods through a community-driven greening plan focused on reducing trash and litter, increasing access to fresh food, reducing crime, and creating job opportunities.
Over the past three years, PHS and neighborhood partners have:
- Cleaned and greened over 1.2 million square feet of vacant land across 643 vacant lots, which are actively maintained year-round; equivalent to almost 21 football fields of space
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Planted more than 400 trees
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Created 3,615 daily green jobs
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Supported 12 community gardens
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Engaged over 200 residents in neighborhood beautification efforts like the Curb Appeal Challenge
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Offered 60 free gardening workshops
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Offered over $100k in garden infrastructure improvements
Unity Day will bring together over 200 residents and community partners to celebrate these achievements with food, local music, family-friendly activities, and a mini resource fair highlighting PHS’s Healthy Neighborhood programs.
“’Love Where You Live’ is about building pride, connection, and stewardship in the community. Seeing neighbors transform their blocks through gardening and green jobs is inspiring. Unity Day highlights the impact of residents’ participation and partnership with PHS and sets the stage for the next phase of this successful pilot program,” said Adam Hill, Director of Community Gardens at PHS.
The program’s success is evident not only in the physical transformation of the Nicetown and Tioga neighborhoods but also in the strengthened social fabric of the community. By providing job training, encouraging neighbor-led beautification projects, and fostering ongoing stewardship of green spaces, Love Where You Live has empowered residents to actively shape their environment and improve quality of life in lasting ways.
“This program exemplifies how gardening and green spaces are vital tools for community resilience and well-being,” said Matt Rader, President of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. “Love Where You Live is a testament to the power of community-led change and our mission to use horticulture to improve lives and neighborhoods across the Philadelphia region.”
PHS is committed to deepening community engagement and expanding the “Love Where You Live” program’s impact in Nicetown and Tioga. The next phase of the program will focus on sustaining green jobs, enhancing tree stewardship, increasing fresh food access, and supporting neighborhood-led initiatives that continue to build a healthier, greener, and more connected community. The phase will begin with an 18-month planning process funded by a grant from the William Penn Foundation. This initiative will map the future of “Love Where You Live” to sustain and expand the program while deepening connections with community leadership.
NOTE: In the event of rain, “Love Where You Live” Unity Day will take place on August 23rd.
ABOUT PENNSYLVANIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), an internationally recognized nonprofit organization founded in 1827, uses horticulture to advance the health and well-being of the Greater Philadelphia Region. PHS programs create healthier living environments, increase access to fresh food, expand access to jobs and economic opportunities, and strengthen deeper social connections between people. PHS’s work spans 250 neighborhoods; an expansive network of public gardens and landscapes; year-round learning experiences; and the nation’s signature gardening event, the Philadelphia Flower Show. PHS provides everyone with opportunities to garden for the greater good as a participant, member, donor, or volunteer. For information and to support this impactful work, please visit PHSonline.org.
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