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Events

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An aerial view of treetops in fall with green, yellow, and orange foliage.

More Hidden Gems Tour

Saturday, October 25
11 AM
Meet at Welcome Center

This walking tour highlights garden features not often discovered on an average visit. Go off the beaten path to visit places you’ve never been and see Garden gems you haven’t seen before. The tour is a combination of structures, sculptures, spaces, trees, and vistas. Please wear good walking shoes. 
 

Events

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A field of yellow, red, and purple flowers among green foliage.

Roots & Remembrance: Reclaiming Plant Knowledge & Cultural Heritage

Sunday, October 12
3 pm
In-Person and Virtual
In-Person Registration: $25 (Members) • $30 (Non-members)
Virtual Registration: $25
IN-PERSON REGISTRATION →
VIRTUAL REGISTRATION →

Join Abra Lee, Tracy Qiu, and Guina Hammond for an engaging conversation exploring ancestral plant knowledge, forgotten traditions, and the cultural stories rooted in the natural world. Through personal narratives and shared wisdom, they’ll illuminate how plants carry memory, identity, and healing across generations. This event invites us to reconnect with the land, honor lost legacies, and rediscover the deep relationships between people and plants that have shaped our histories and can guide our futures. This in-person event will take place at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens. A livestream of the conversation will be available via Zoom.


 

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Headshot of a black woman outdoors wearing cateye glasses, a black-and-white striped shirt, and a black blazer.

 

Abra Lee is the Director of Horticulture at the Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to her role as a public horticulturist, Abra is a historian, writer, and author of the forthcoming book, “Conquer the Soil: Black America and the Untold Stories of Our Country’s Gardeners, Farmers, and Growers.” Her research focuses on Black garden history, and she raises awareness of Black gardeners and farmers, helping to put them into their rightful places in the overall history of American gardening and horticulture.

 

 

 

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A headshot of a smiling black woman wearing a floral shirt outdoors.

 

Guina Hammond is the Program Manager of Public Gardens and Landscapes at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, where she uses gardening as a tool for social change, bringing people together to connect with nature’s beauty and healing power. A certified organic land care professional, PHS Tree Tender, Penn State Master Gardener, and 5th generation herbalist, Guina is deeply involved in Philadelphia’s community. She is a founding member of the Chester Avenue Community Garden, where she has grown award-winning produce for 38 years. She is also a planning team member for the Mid-Atlantic Woody & Perennial Plant Conferences.

 

 

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A headshot of a smiling woman wearing a coral-colored shit.

 

Tracy Qiu is a post-doctoral researcher at Concordia University in Montreal, specializing in the colonial history of botanical gardens and their roles in contemporary society. With over a decade of experience as a researcher, consultant, and artist, she applies decolonizing and inclusion-focused practices to help public gardens address issues of racial diversity, colonial legacies, and community belonging. Tracy is a former Longwood Graduate Fellow and has worked with Niagara Parks and the National Tropical Botanical Gardens. Her interdisciplinary approach combines qualitative research, visual art, and horticulture to explore how gardens can reconcile their colonial pasts while fostering inclusive futures.

Events

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Narcissus spp. (daffodils)

The Essential Guide to Bulbs: Book Talk & Signing

Wednesday, October 29
4 pm
Registration is required
REGISTER TODAY
Members: $30 • Non-members: $35
Book add-on: $29.99

Join Jenny Rose for a talk based on her newest book, The Essential Guide to Bulbs. For any gardener who wants to grow bulbs in the garden or containers, Jenny shares her insights through her gorgeously photographed, comprehensive and inviting resource.
 
You will learn that, while many gardeners may be familiar with the early show of spring bulbs like daffodils and tulips or the late show of gladiolus, there are so many more bulbs to choose from that provide three-season color, drama, and spontaneity in the garden.
 
Jenny Rose has been lecturing nationally and internationally for many years. She previously worked at Temple University for over a decade, first as an adjunct professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and then as director of the Ambler Arboretum. Most recently, she served as Senior Director of Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Meadowbrook Farm. She is an avid hands-on gardener who has gardened in both England and the United States. Her Victorian property, Northview, in Ambler, PA contains diverse garden spaces, including a cutting garden, an herb garden, a dry garden, and various mixed flower beds. Jenny Rose and her gardens have been featured on the PBS series The Victory Garden, in the Wall Street Journal, the Philadelphia Inquirer, GROW magazine, and The Pennsylvania Gardener. She is co-author with Mary Anne Fry of A Century of Cultivation, the author and photographer for Glorious Shade (Timber Press 2017), and The Ultimate Flower Gardener’s Guide (Timber Press 2022).
 
A limited number of books will be available for purchase. Participants who want to ensure they can purchase a book for signing at this event are encouraged to pre-order a copy here.  Please select the appropriate participant price, and also select "Book add-on”  during registration.

 

Events

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A woman in red holds a microphone while behind her stands three people holding up a long narrow tapestry of Lenape embroidery.

Stories of Resistance: An Evening of Storytelling with the Lenape Nation of PA

Thursday, November 20
6:30 pm
Woodmere Art Museum
Registration is required
REGISTER TODAY
Members: $20 • Non-members: $25

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, you are invited to join the Morris Arboretum & Gardens and Woodmere Art Museum for an evening welcoming Indigenous voices with “Stories of Resistance” from the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania. Attendees will hear stories of Lenape history, language, culture, and horticultural wisdom, and will be treated to drumming and singing by the Stone Dog Drum. The program will take place at Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118.

Seasons Magazine www.morrisarboretum.org/learn-discover/seasons-magazine

Seasons Magazine Seasons Magazine Image Seasons Fall/Winter 2025 Read the latest issue of Seasons below, or download the PDF .  Past Issues of Seasons Spring/Summer 2025 •  Fall/Winter 2024 •  Spring/Summer 2024  •  Fall/Winter 2023 •  Spring/Summer 2023 •  Fall/Winter 2022 • Spring/Summer 2021 •  Fall/Winter 2021 • Spring/Summer 2020 •  Fall /Winter 2020  •  Fall 2019  •  Summer 2019 • Spring/Winter 2019  •   Fall 2018  • Summer 2018  •  Spring/Winter 2018 • Fall 2018   … Seasons Magazine …

Weddings www.morrisarboretum.org/plan-event/weddings

Weddings Weddings Image Image Image   Weddings at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens Welcome to your garden wedding!   Thank you for thinking of the Morris Arboretum & Gardens for such a special occasion. We are excited to share what we have to offer. For photos and current happenings, take a quick preview of wedding locations and follow us on Instagram ! For more information and to book a tour, contact the Rentals Team at 215.247.5777 x158 or email  rentals@morrisarboretum.org . Image Photo: Moon Honey Photography Full Weddings  Your rental involves exclusive access to 92 breathtaking acres, a choice of five charming ceremony sites, a delightful open-air cocktail hour, and tented dinner and dancing under the glow of bistro lights. Our picturesque gardens are exclusively yours when you arrive at 5 PM for photos. Festivities are 6 – 11 PM with a maximum capacity of 175 (155 with designated dancing area). Parking is included, along with ceremony chairs, tables and chairs for your reception, and three hours with a golf cart and driver to escort you throughout the lush grounds for wedding photographs. We have a variety of enhancements to upgrade your experience as well—we’d love to tell you all about it on a tour. Get in touch to schedule a visit with us!      Image Ceremonies Only  Your Ceremony Only rental involves private access to 92 breathtaking acres and a choice of five charming ceremony sites. Our picturesque gardens are exclusively yours from 6 – 8 PM for your ceremony and photos. Parking is included, along with ceremony chairs for up to sixty guests (up to 100 for an additional fee). Include our golf cart with five passenger seats as an upgrade if you’d like to access more of the grounds for photos. Reservations may be made up to six months in advance.     Image Photo: Hops and Hitched Micro Ceremonies  Micro Ceremonies allow up to fifteen people to gather in our beautiful gardens to spend time together celebrating your union and taking photos amongst the flowers …

Wildlife & Birding www.morrisarboretum.org/gardens-trees/wildlife-birding

Wildlife & Birding Wildlife & Birding Image Morris Arboretum & Garden’s natural areas include wetlands, meadows, and the woodlands along the Wissahickon Creek. These areas provide a great habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and birds year-round. There are resident birds, as well as migrating raptors and warblers to see. Additionally, Tree Canopy Walk gives you a chance to look for birds on the tree canopy: a great vantage point for viewing birds at treetop level.    Image Wildlife and Bird Checklists  Check for the most common wildlife sightings on iNaturalist   Add your sightings Check for the most common bird sightings on eBird Hotspot Add your sightings Seasonal Birds at Morris List compiled by Ruth Pfeffer  Birds of the East Coast   Self-Guided Tour  Take a self-guided tour of the wetlands where many notable birds have been sighted.  Get the Guide .  Trips, Classes, and Events  There are a number of bird watching classes that appeal to beginners and experts alike, offered through our Education department.  See our current offerings .    Birds Seen at Morris Arboretum & Gardens Image Great white egret - Photo: Ken Tapp Image Male tree swallows - Photo: Ruth Pfeffer Image Cedar waxwing - Photo: Susan Marshall Image American robin - Photo: Susan Marshall Image Common nighthawk - Photo: Susan Marshall Image Tufted titmouse - Photo: Susan Marshall Image European starling - Photo: Susan Marshall.  Image Killdeer - Photo: Susan Marshall Image Least sandpiper - Photo: Susan Marshall 1 / PREV NEXT Additional Resources  John James Audubon Center  For more birding trip and events in the greater Philadelphia region, visit  www.johnjames.audubon.org »   Cornell Lab of Ornithology  All About Birds: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology   … Wildlife & …

Natural Areas www.morrisarboretum.org/gardens-trees/natural-areas

Natural Areas Natural Areas Image Image Today, the Morris's natural areas in the lower meadows look almost as they did when the property was the Morrises’ estate. In the early 1900s, John Morris drained the area and installed a tile field for grazing cattle. Over the years, sections of the tile field broke down, making the area marshy from underground springs and groundwater. The combination of water and soil types made the location perfect for the development of a wetland. After receiving funds from federal and state agencies, local foundations and generous individuals, restoration of the pre-existing wetland took place in 2002. The new construction included both shallow areas for vegetation as well as several deep holes to accommodate the overwintering of fish and amphibians. To encourage birds, waterfowl and mammals to inhabit the area, bluebird, kestrel, wood duck and bat boxes were installed. The Morris’s wetland is now a thriving example of an ecosystem that supports an abundance of native plant life, as well as year-round and migratory bird populations. Contact Ryan Drake, McCausland Natural Areas Manager at rdrake@upenn.edu .     Take a self-guided tour of the Wetland. The wetland and its floodplain encompass about 35 acres of the Morris. Find native plants, keep an eye out for belted kingfishers and blue herons, and learn about the history of the wetland dating back to 1717.  Take the Tour … Natural …