Cooper's Hawk at The Woodlands, photo by Toribird
It's Toribird here, and I am proud to report that our resident pair of Cooper's Hawks is back and hard at work on their nest! This year they moved over a couple trees, but are still in the same area - by the Dell, north of the colossal Evans obelisk. You can check out this previous post to watch a video of the baby Coops getting fed last year, as well as learn more about breeding birds at The Woodlands!
Read MoreThe Woodlands has entered into a new agreement with [UCD’s] subsidiary Green City Works (GCW) for landscaping services at the historic cemetery. Located at 4000 Woodland Avenue in University City, the Woodlands encompasses 54 acres of undulating landscape that has served as an 18th-century English pleasure garden, a 19th-century rural cemetery, and a modern green oasis and escape for neighbors and explorers. The partnership with Green City Works will involve care and maintenance by a crew made up of West Philadelphia residents who are graduates of UCD’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative.
Read MoreMany people are familiar with the Harlem Renaissance, the vibrant period of Black arts and culture coursing through the streets of Harlem, NY in the mid 20th century. It may surprise you to learn however, that a prominent member was born and raised right here in West Philadelphia, and was buried here at The Woodlands Cemetery in 2019. Her story is remembered by many, but not very well known. With the help of her family and the Blockson Library at Temple University, we’re able to share her story with you.
Read MoreCongratulations, Philly, on joining Lights Out! Photo by Toribird.
It's Toribird here, bringing great news for Philadelphia's birds and bird lovers! Philly has finally joined over 30 other cities in a Lights Out program to give migrant birds safer passage. Many major Center City skyscrapers have voluntarily agreed to turn off all outside lights during peak migration seasons.
Read MoreWilliam Hamilton was famous for his voracious plant collecting, and was passionate about rare plants. His greenhouse at The Woodlands held over 10,000 plant specimens and was one of the most important horticultural sites in the country in the 18th century. In celebration of Valentine’s Day Weekend, we are sharing the story of how the first red roses were introduced to America by our own William Hamilton at The Woodlands.
In November, 1785 William Hamilton wrote to his private secretary in Philadelphia of the “red monthly rose” and in February, 1788 he wrote again of “the two or three cuttings of the china rose, which I planted in pots.” The rose Hamilton was referring to was known commonly as ‘Slater’s Crimson China’ and was one of the first four “stud roses” to come from China.
Before the last decades of the 18th century, the only roses with which Westerners were familiar were fragrant, pink flowered, coarse shrubs that bloomed once a year in late spring. These flowers were popular but were mostly admired for their medicinal value. The arrival of the China roses created both excitement and lust among European and American gardeners. The flowers of the China rose themselves were small and scentless, borne on twiggy, somewhat shapeless plants. What was revolutionary about these roses was the color of the flowers, which opened true red, yellow, and blush, depending on the variety.
Roses planted by a Grave Gardener in the Jayne Family Plot at The Woodlands.
Pictured here is a red China rose planted in one of two grave gardens in the Jayne Family Plot in Section D, not far from the Hamilton Mansion. Dr. David Jayne was a 19th century doctor who operated a pharmacy in Philadelphia and exported medicines worldwide. The rose planted here represents both the history and value of early roses, and the new possibilities the China Red Rose offered the gardening world.
Hamilton was one of the first-if not the very first- persons in America to acquire the China rose. There would be no red roses in your Valentine bouquet if not for the introduction of China rose, and for the accomplishments over the next two centuries of many horticultural careers devoted to its hybridization. Crossed with the old European varieties, it is the ancestor of nearly all the modern roses we love today.
