HPS/MAG Programs 

We are a hub for gardening! The Philadelphia region has a tradition of gardening going back more than300 years. It continues today with more than 30 gardens, historic landscapes and arboreta within 30 miles of the city.

Important: Click here to view HPS/MAG Refund Policy

Our enthusiastic and knowledgeable Program Chairperson scouts speakers and topics both nearby, and from across the country. Our lecturers include horticulturalists, authors, researchers and landscape designers.

Our very popular Virtual Programs Schedule for 2025 has been announced:

"Tuesdays@10" and "Virtual Wednesday Evenings" are Educational Series of Virtual Lectures held alternating weeks, every week during the first quarter of every year. They feature a wide range of topics with horticultural experts, organizations and authors. These are members-only events.

Tuesdays at 10 Schedule: 
                    
 
January 14 - "Moss Magic in Your Landscape" Speaker: Annie Martin
                     January 28 - TBD
                     February 11- "Recycled Landscapes" Speakers: Hans Hesselein & Martha Keen
                     February 25 - "Lacecaps, Mopheads and Sterile Florets: A Closer Look at Hydrangeas" Speaker: Adam Wheeler

Wednesdays at 6:30pm Schedule:
                    January 8 - "Raising Butterflies in Your Garden: The How and Why" Speaker: Carol Pasternak
                    January 22 - "The 2024 Chelsea Flower Show and Garden Plantapalooza"  Speaker: Janet Chrzan
                    February 5 - "My Coloring Book" with Chanticleer's Joe Henderson
                    February 19 - "2025 Garden Walk Buffalo - Sneak Peek" Speaker: Louise Clark

Check the event calendar for more details about the above lectures. Registration opens November 15th. 

Tuesday@10 Previous Topics

  • Houseplants
  • Peonies
  • New & Underused Woody Plants
  • Seed Saving Made Simple
  • Cool Season Grasses
  • Delightful Dahlias
  • The Wonderful World of Conifers
  • Snowdrops for the Winter Garden
  • PHS: Beyond the Flower Show
  • The Cutting Garden
  • Fundamentals of Pesticides and Risk Assessment
  • Discover Warm Season Grasses
Virtual Wednesday Evenings Previous Topics
  • Book Talk with Jenny Rose Cary
  • The Unique Rock Garden at Laurel Hill Cemetery
  • Should I Consider a Water Feature in my Garden?
  • Clematis Culture, Pruning and Training
  • Enjoying Succulents in Your Garden
  • Growing Carnivorous Native Plants in a Container
  • Rare Finds and Exceptional Specimens: Preserving America’s Finest Native Rhododendrons

 

Photo by Carol VerhakeThe HPS/MAG traditional annual itinerary of Speaker Programs.

With the exception of our spring symposium, most lectures are free to our members. The Walkovic & Schumacher Memorial Lecture and Haverford lectures are open to the public.  We offer most speaker programs as Hybrid Events. This type of event offers greater flexibility for attendance - the registrants have the option of attending in-person, or virtually.

January - The Walkovic & Schumacher Memorial Lecture, is a annual collaboration with the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College. Recent speakers have included Tony Avent, Plant Delights Nursery; Dan Heims, Terra Nova Nursery; author Ken Druse: and writer and radio host Jessica Walliser.  Click here for this year's lecture.

March - Our March Into Spring Symposium features up to 5 lectures, along with a fabulous silent auction, and vendors featuring plants, apiary products and garden gear. It is a Virtual Event, if necessary, and includes an Online Auction. Click here for this year's MIS.

October - November - The Haverford Lecture is co-sponsored with the Haverford Arboretum. Recent speakers have included Carrie Preston, Studio Toop; Larry Weaner, Larry Weaner Landscape Associates; ecologist and conservationist Joan Maloof; and Kirk Brown as Frederick Law Olmstead.

November - The Scott Arboretum Lecture is co-sponsored with the Scott Arboretum. Recent speakers have included Senior Horticulturist for Laurel Hill Cemeteries, Gregg Tepper.  Click here for this year's lecture.

November - December - We now offer a lecture following our annual business meeting. Speakers have included Jules Bruck, Associate Professor of Landscape Design at the University of Delaware, historian and author Marta McDowell, landscape architect Susan Cohen, and "The Herb Lady", Caren White. Click here for this year's annual meeting.

Contact HPS/MAG Programs Chair at [email protected]