04-05-2025
Rain doesn't deter gardeners flocking to Philadelphia nurseries for spring planting
Some Philadelphia-area gardeners say the damp weather is the perfect time for spring planting
Some Philadelphia-area gardeners say the damp weather is the perfect time for spring planting
Some Philadelphia-area gardeners say the damp weather is the perfect time for spring planting
A steady drizzle didn't stop Philadelphia-area gardeners from flocking to local nurseries this weekend to get their hands in the dirt.
At Secret Garden, a family-owned nursery on Ridge Avenue in Roxborough, foot traffic was nonstop despite the wet weather.
"It's been extremely busy," said Jackie Lynch, who helps run the nursery with her family. "My brother has been working 15 hours a day."
Customers were bundled up in rain jackets, pushing carts loaded with herbs, flowers and shrubs.
CBS Philadelphia
"Everyone's ready to get back into their yards," Lynch said. "Right now is an excellent time to start planting your herbs, vegetables, and the pretty things that make your home look magnificent."
Among the weekend visitors was Julie Stewart, shopping alongside her daughter, Emma, who recently bought her first home.
"We're getting her beds ready for spring and summer," Stewart said. "I was always taught not to really plant anything until Mother's Day or after, but I think this was the perfect weekend to do it."
Across the city in Pennsport, at Urban Jungle's South Philadelphia location, owner Tara Alexander said this kind of weather is ideal.
"You won't be out there sweating and getting sunburnt," she said. "Plus, it'll rain, and then it'll water in your plants—which will be great for their health and save you some work."
CBS Philadelphia
Ben Ansell carefully picked out boxwoods for his front porch for his home in the city's Graduate Hospital neighborhood.
"We want to be able to come out here and maintain it and keep it beautiful," he said. "A nice place to sit—and a nice place for the neighborhood."
Ansell, like many others, sees gardening as more than just yardwork.
"Community and peace. Personal peace, too," he said. "Just having that natural spot to be able to sit outside and not have to walk far to a park. To just be in my own space."
Alexander agrees.
"I really believe that plants make people happy," she said. "I just hope people enjoy getting their hands dirty—being outside, looking at, taking care of, and spending time in their gardens or on their decks."
