Free Library of Philadelphia |Philadelphia Gardens in the Early 1700s

Before 1750, Philadelphia gardens were not just kitchen gardens, they also cultivated lots of ornamental plants, grown for their beauty, colors, scent, and to make nature prints as a form of botanical art. Many of these plants were imported from Europe, but some were native to the Pennsylvania region. There were gardens in Germantown and at Stenton (James Logan’s estate in north Philadelphia) that cultivated and celebrated vibrant ornamental plants like anemones, tulips, daffodils, roses, lilies, columbines, Polianthes tuberosa, violets, and African, French and European marigolds.

Miranda Mote, PhD is a historian, artist, and educator based in Philadelphia and the 2023-24 Garden Club of America / Prince Charitable Trusts Rome Prize, Landscape Architecture Fellow. She teaches history and design, works with children in K-12 schools and public venues, designs teaching games for children, and is currently writing an arts focused literacy and botany curriculum of lessons designed especially for children that live in urban environments. She established Botanography in 2022 as a non-profit to directly serve students and families in Philadelphia County and believes that every school should have a garden classroom where students can connect with plants every day.

This program can be attended in the Skyline Room on Parkway Central's Fourth Floor. No registration required. Join us earlier in the afternoon for a garden inspired children's storytime and activity. Learn more here.

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