Carolyn’s Shade Gardens at Whitehall Farm Gardens – Tour/Learn/Shop

Carolyn Walker and Michael Drennan are transitioning ownership of Carolyn's Shade Gardens (https://carolynsshadegardens.com/) to their son, Alex, and his wife, Marielle, over the next few seasons. The new location is Whitehall Farm Gardens (https://www.whitehallfarmgardens.com/) in Norristown, PA. We are excited to have an opportunity to tour their expanded, family run, 5-acre retail plant nursery in its opening season. Prior to the tour, we will learn about organic options for managing landscape pests. And after the tour, we will be able to shop in the nursery, at a discount!

Read on for more details provided by the Drennan Family.

Additional Information on Whitehall Farm Gardens:

With five acres to grow into, we look forward to delivering the same exceptional quality plant material - closely inspected and hand-selected - on a much broader scale. In addition to the hostas, hellebores, and native perennials that you already expect from CSG, plan to visit the retail store to procure your favorite woody shrubs, small flowering trees, and must-have tools and supplies.

With the addition of two large hoop houses, we will be able to control plant production from start to finish. By cutting heavy chemicals and fertilizers, harvesting rainwater from two, five-thousand-gallon cisterns, as well as using biodegradable pots and peat-free soils, we are taking a sustainable approach to our expansion.

We will have about 217 different kinds of herbaceous plants alone - let alone woody plants and trees! I am personally very excited about our collections of Trillium, Epimedium, Ferns, Viburnum and Flowering Dogwood.

What’s in Store on the Tour:

Learn (~45 minutes) - Organic Options for Managing Landscape Pests: Please join us for an exciting conversation around the best OMRI (organic materials review institute)-rated products to control common insects and diseases in Southeastern PA. We will identify common pests and their preferred host plants and then discuss how to control them using low-toxicity materials. We will cover new diseases, including Beach Leaf Disease, and invasive insects such as the Boxtree Moth. Participants will learn how to scout and treat pests in their own landscapes, improve soil quality, and select high-quality products to use in their landscapes.

Behind-the-Scenes Tour (~45 minutes): Join us on a tour of the nursery to see our organic approach in action! This will include a behind-the-scenes peek into our sustainable hoop houses. From biodegradable pots to peat-free, OMRI potting soil, to rainwater cisterns and integrated pest management, we are proud to be one of Philadelphia's first sustainable plant nurseries.

Shop: Following the tour, there will be shopping time in the nursery where you will be able to take advantage of 10% off all purchases (valid only on the day of the event).

This is a Members Only event. Registration is required. $25 per attendee. Maximum number of guests is 30. Note: If there is sufficient interest, a second tour may be added at 2:00-4:00 PM.

Registration opens on March 26^th and closes on May 5^th. Click here if you would like to become a member of HPS/MAG before registering for this event.

Bring an umbrella if there’s light rain. In the event of heavy rain, the rain date is Saturday, May 10^th.

There is an onsite parking lot. Restrooms are available in the retail building.

Nearby Places to Eat/Shop/Visit: Blue Bell Inn (11 minutes, Blue Bell), Los Cabritos Mexican Restaurant (11 minutes, Skippack), Merrymead Farm (8 minutes), Peter Wentz Farmstead (5 minutes).

Contact: Laura Axel at [email protected]