Itinerary
Progressive Women in Horticulture
In 1914, Jesse Morgan declared,
“The day has dawned for the woman gardener.”
Plant Lovers’ Itineraries has organized a special tour that focuses on the women who gave birth to the garden club tradition and laid the groundwork for horticulture as a profession for women as well as the women who helped to create some of North America’s finest gardens.
In the first decades of the 20th century a small number of visionary women in Philadelphia gave birth to the garden club movement and as a result changed lives and landscapes throughout North America. Together they founded four vital organizations:
- The Garden Club of Philadelphia, the first garden club, in 1904
- The Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women in 1910
- The Garden Club of America in 1913
- The Woman’s National Farm & Garden Association in 1914
Plant Lovers’ Itineraries™ has organized a special tour that focuses on the women who gave birth to the garden club tradition and laid the groundwork for horticulture as a profession for women as well as the women who helped to create some of North America’s finest gardens.
Progressive Women in Horticulture can be enjoyed either as a self-guided tour or as a group tour that goes beyond the basic itinerary to include experts who bring to life these incredible women with tales about the women and the friendships that made their accomplishments possible. Here are some of the sites on the tour:
- Wyck, 19th century home of Jane Bowen Haines II who founded the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women
- Temple Ambler, the site of the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women where women trained to lead the World War I Woman’s Land Army
- Stenton, the country home of James Logan, Secretary to William Penn, and the site of the first meeting of the Garden Club of America
- The Highlands, the 18th century mansion whose grounds were transformed by Caroline Sinkler in the 1920s into elegant gardens that received national acclaim
- Morris Arboretum, the elegant, Victorian eclectic landscape of Lydia and John Morris and now the official Arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- Henry Foundation for Botanical Research, born of the passion for plants and plant collecting of Mary Henry and her daughter Josephine Henry
© Plant Lovers’ Itineraries™, 2006
About Plant Lovers’ Itineraries™
Plant Lovers’ Itineraries provides tours designed to combine that special mixture of enjoyment and information that appeals to serious gardeners and plant lovers.
Every tour explores a theme with sites carefully selected to offer a variety of experiences. Included with the tour is a multi-institution admission ticket and a printed itinerary that provides directions and maps, interesting information about the site, its history, important plants at garden sites and their peak bloom times, a description of the garden’s design and evolution, and other places of interest on the tour route. An added bonus for plant lovers on the group tours is the chance to hear the behind-the-scenes stories and to ask questions about growing conditions, plant varieties, and what works best in the home garden. Plant Lovers’ Itineraries group tours can be as short as one day or as long as five and customized to address the interests of the group.
For detailed information about the tour, options and costs, contact Plant Lovers’ Itineraries at slee.associates@comcast.net or call Sharon Lee at 610-543-1024.