In the year before its 200th anniversary, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society will award Philadelphia gardeners for their skills in a new challenge.

The organization will host its first-ever Citywide Gardening Challenge, an initiative that will honor unique residential outdoor gardens and celebrate all who enhance America’s Garden Capital, PHS announced on May 13. The nonprofit is also hoping to recruit new gardeners in Philadelphia this spring and summer through a range of activities.

“Anyone who’s cultivating any plant anywhere, for any reason, is a gardener in our book, and we’re here to celebrate them,” PHS President Matt Rader said at a media briefing at the PHS Pop Up Garden on South Street.

PHS’s inaugural challenge is free and open to all Philadelphians who have outdoor home gardens. Participants must register through the PHS website before June 22 and enter in one of several categories: flower gardens, vegetable or herb gardens, combination gardens, decorative container gardens, and pollinator or wildlife gardens. The organization will offer registered participants gardening and photography tips to ensure their garden is ready for judging.

Though there are only a select few winners, the purpose of the challenge is to recognize all Philadelphians who are greening their homes and neighborhoods, Rader said.

“I believe gardening is our superpower to transform our own life and well-being and the life of the world around us,” he said.

Studies have linked green spaces to better health outcomes, lower crime rates, greater biodiversity, cooler temperatures and stormwater management. Gardening also provides families with access to fresh food and unifies neighborhoods, Rader said.

“Whether you’re planting just a few flowers outside your house, growing vegetables for your family, creating a habitat for pollinators, or caring for a small patch of green space in front of your porch — what you’re doing matters a lot more than you probably realize,” he said. “You’re making this city safer, cleaner, greener, healthier and more beautiful, and that transforms life for each of us.”

In addition to the inaugural challenge, PHS will offer workshops, volunteer opportunities, garden tours and community programs for gardeners of every level. Activities include garden embroidery, free Plant Swaps in Manayunk, herbalism workshops at Norristown Farm Park and the “Know to Grow” virtual lecture series.

People can also tour PHS’s 45 public gardens and landscapes, such as PHS Meadowbrook Farm in Northeast Philadelphia and the Delaware River Waterfront. The organization added four new sites this year at intersections along Interstate 676 and 76, Rader said.

“We do this because we believe that everyone should experience the beauty, joy and environmental benefits of gardens every day,” he said.

For a full list of events, workshops and guided tours, visit phsonline.org/events. A PHS calendar of volunteer opportunities can be found at phsonline.org/volunteer/for-individuals.

PHS, the host of the annual Philadelphia Flower Show, aims to improve the quality of life for residents of the Greater Philadelphia region through horticulture. Residents in Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy and other Northwest Philadelphia areas volunteer for its Tree Tenders program, which works to fill canopy gaps in the city.

This spring, PHS and volunteers have planted more than 600 trees throughout the Philadelphia region, Rader said. PHS will invest more than $24 million in neighborhoods and public spaces this year, while supporting 210 community gardens and gardening in more than 255 neighborhoods. The organization has more than 5,000 active volunteers and over 15,000 financial supporters, he said.

Rader said people with no gardening experience can start small, using one container of soil, a few plants and a little care. And in his experience, neighbors are more than happy to offer advice.

“My hope is that everybody who hears this message … somehow gets involved with plants in a new way,” he said. “Grow something, grow anything, buy the basil at supermarket and try to keep it alive, plant a seed, grab a neighbor and try to grow something together. Do something with gardening to improve your life, unleash your creativity and improve the world around you.”

How the challenge works

Gardeners can register for PHS’s inaugural Citywide Gardening challenge at phsonline.org/for-gardeners/citywide-gardening-challenge.

After registration, participants must submit 3-6 photos of their gardens from June 23 to July 6. Judges will select finalists from the photo review round and email them from July 7 to 14 about an in-person visit, which will take place from July 15 to Aug. 15, according to the PHS website.

Judges will evaluate gardens based on color, maintenance, use of space, horticultural practices, total visual effect, and the variety and suitability of the plants. They will reward spaces that have innovative and unique qualities and serve greater purposes — such as stormwater mitigation, pollinator habitat and sourcing from locally owned nurseries.

PHS will notify winners in early September and there will be a celebration event for all finalists that month. All PHS member winners will receive Primex Garden Center gift cards and PHS merchandise. For nonmembers, the first prize winner will receive PHS Advocate membership and four tickets to the 2027 Philadelphia Flower Show, while second prize winners will get a PHS Activist membership and two tickets. The third-place winner will receive a PHS contributing membership.

Abby Weiss is an environmental reporter for the Local and a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at abby@chestnuthilllocal.com.