When was the first Azalea Garden Party?

ask PHS

When was the first Azalea Garden Party?

I know that PHS maintains the Azalea Garden in Fairmount Park on Kelly Drive. When was the first fund raiser for this garden?

Answer

The first Azalea Garden party was held on May 17, 1990.

In 1952 the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society donated the Azalea Garden to the City of Philadelphia. The Society undertook a major restoration project in 1988 and initiated a Friends group to assist with the maintenance and plantings for this four acre site. This first party in 1990 re-opened the restored garden.

Until 2011 we have called this event the Azalea Garden Party. In 2011 we decided to change the name to the Party in the Garden to give us the flexibility of holding it at different times of the year and in other urban landscapes.

sources: PHS News April, 1990, v.31(4):5 ; PHS News June-July, 2011, v.53(3):2 ; see attached link to 1990 PHS Yearbook entry.

See our online collection of Azalea Garden images in our digital archives here.