Awbury Arboretum
The Garden Club of Philadelphia, Zone V
2002 Founders Fund Winner
Awbury Arboretum was originally the summer home of the Quaker shipping merchant magnate, Henry Cope. Awbury’s grounds were laid out in the 19th century in the English landscape garden tradition and out of concern for the preservation of dwindling open space, members of the Cope family established it as a 55-acre arboretum in 1916. In 1985, the Awbury Arboretum Association was created as a not-for-profit corporation entrusted with promoting the well-being of the Arboretum for the benefit of the community.
The 2002 Founders Fund Award went to restore the Secret Garden at Awbury. Also known as the Henry Cope Garden, it dates back to the earliest days of Awbury featuring a formal boxwood garden and long grass lawn. The Award also created a birding curriculum for children and an innovative training program teaching area youth employable landscaping skills.
These activities progressed for several years before financial pressure and administrative problems signaled the end of these programs. Awbury has since been revived and the grounds offer educational programs and events about nature and history to the urban community. The Secret Garden now includes understory trees and shrubs as well as very tall, old persimmons.
