What We DoThe Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization for gardeners in the Mid-Atlantic region. We encourage gardeners - from beginners to professionals - to learn more about horticulture and to share skills, knowledge, and plants with each other. Members gather informally throughout the year to visit gardens and nurseries in the Delaware Valley and beyond. We sponsor seminars and lectures about plants - both hardy and tender - as well as ecology, design, propagation, and conservation. We also hold sales featuring choice and unusual plants and garden accessories, and co-sponsor other events with leading area horticultural institutions. HPS/MAG supports horticultural and educational programs through its Grants Program. Many of us enjoy helping with HPS/MAG programs and activities. We do have some non-member events throughout the year but we encourage you to join, so you can participate in all of our programs and activities. If you love plants and want to learn more about them, we cordially invite you to join HPS/MAG: Click here to launch our online membership form. Click here to print a paper copy of the member form that you may complete and mail with your check. To make a donation to support our grant program, click here. HPS/MAG is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your donation is deductible to the extent permitted by law. For more information contact: [email protected]. Our HistoryThe Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group was formed in 1986 by Joanne Walkovic and Jean Schumacher. Joanne, a fashion designer and talented gardener in Philadelphia, was a great fan of the Hardy Plant Society in England where she visited yearly. Jean was a horticulturalist and a former Assistant Director of Tyler Arboretum and the American Horticultural Society's Plant Science Data Center. The women persuaded well-known garden experts and educators to lend weight to the organization, and membership climbed. Today more than 950 belong. Education has been stressed from the start. There are workshops for beginners and special interest groups (SIGs) for those interested in deeper study. Our newsletter features articles by members and professional garden writers, and our popular garden tours have allowed members to visit unique private gardens in the US, Canada and overseas. Making rare seeds and plants available is also a major focus. The Fall Gardeners' Market features specialty retail and wholesale growers from up and down the Eastern seaboard. The seed exchange has been a hit from the beginning, drawing donors from arboreta and rare plant nurseries, in addition to area gardeners. Best of all is the companionship of other gardeners. In 2000, while visiting gardens and nurseries in England, Joanne was tragically killed in an automobile accident. The Hardy Plant Society commemorates her in a yearly lecture. Jean, with her husband Phil, who collects bamboo, continues tending her Wallingford garden and watching over the Hardy Plant Society with a founder's pride.
2025 HPS/MAG Board and Committee Contact List
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