Press Release

Philadelphia, PA—Morris Arboretum & Gardens will celebrate its annual Moonlight & Roses gala on Friday, June 5, 2026 at 5:30 pm. The event provides a beautiful forum in which to recognize excellence and leadership in environmental stewardship. This year’s honorees are longtime Morris member Ellen Nalle Hass and Bartlett Tree Experts.

The gala, held on the Morris’s stunning grounds, directly supports the Morris’s work as a renowned public garden and as a center for plant science research and educational programming for all ages. The honorary chairs for the 2026 event are Cameron and John Soroko. 

VIP tickets for the 2026 gala are available now, and formal invitations will be mailed in April. If you are interested in sponsoring the event, please contact Kristen Casalenuovo at kcasal@upenn.edu. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit MorrisArboretumGala.org

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Meet the 2026 Honorees

2025 Individual Honoree

Ellen Nalle Hass

From her early days roaming the Wissahickon, Ellen Nalle Hass's life has been driven by a reverence for nature. She lives by John Muir's mantra: "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order." Ellen is a longtime neighbor and member of the Morris and served on the Board of Advisors for two decades. For six of those years, Ellen was the board chair and provided strong and enduring leadership during a time of institutional transition. Professionally, she has worked at Condé Nast, WHYY’s Applause magazine, and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (SCH), and she is now with Team Whetzel at Kurfiss Sotheby's real estate. She is a board member of Chanticleer Garden of Wayne, PA; president of the Henrietta Tower Wurts Memorial Foundation; and a former board member of the Children's Aid Society and SCH. Ellen and her husband, Jay, enjoy visits from their three grown children, Charlotte, Johnny, and Robert, who grew up enjoying the beauty of, and learning from, the Morris.

2026 Institutional Honoree

Bartlett Tree Experts

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With more than 170 offices worldwide, Bartlett Tree Experts is dedicated to helping residential and commercial clients care for and preserve healthy, beautiful trees. For 119 years, the family-owned company has developed environmentally responsible products and championed sustainable tree care practices. Through its Legacy Tree Program, Bartlett Tree Experts provides tree seedlings for reforestation efforts and educates communities on proper tree care. The Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories, staffed by experts in plant pathology, entomology, and horticulture, support Bartlett Tree Experts’ arborists with the latest scientific insights and innovations in arboriculture.