Unsung Women of Horticulture: Plant Talk and Walk Recap

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Students in the garden, c. 1930s, image from the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women records, Special Collections Research Center

In honor of the first day of spring, we teamed up with the Office of Sustainability and the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University for a plant talk and walk on Main Campus.

Kathleen Salisbury speaks at Charles Library, photo by Heidi Roland Photography

We started the afternoon with a talk by Kathleen (Kathy) Salisbury, director of Ambler Arboretum, about the history of women of the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women, which became Ambler Campus. Kathy covered some of the most prominent women involved in the creation of the school all the way back to the founder, Jane Bowne Haines II, who started the school in 1910. She went on to share stories of Louise Carter Bush-Brown, Ernesta Drinker-Ballard, Letitia Glenn Biddle, and others involved in the school and related organizations, their accomplishments, and their efforts to further women’s rights.

Following Kathy’s talk, Margery Sly, director of the Special Collections Research Center, and Kimberly Tully, curator of rare books, shared information about the archives of the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture in our special collections. Items were on display in the back of the room for attendees to view following the remarks. 

Materials in our special collections, photo by Heidi Roland Photography

Liz Riedman, PhD Candidate in Geography and winner of the Office of Sustainability’s Graduate Research Award for Sustainability (GRASP), utilized the SCRC’s archival materials at Ambler for her research which seeks to challenge historical accounts of urban greening that overlook over the contributions of women in the past and present. This work gave important context for the historic untold stories of the women featured in Kathy’s talk, and further underscores the need to add diverse accounts to the archive.

Attendees view SCRC items on display, photo by Heidi Roland Photography

Missed the talk or just want to share it with a friend? View the recording on our website.

Kathleen Salisbury talks about the trees outside of Sullivan Hall, photo by Heidi Roland Photography

Next, we headed outside for a tour of trees on Main Campus. Caroline Burkholder, senior sustainability manager, joined us to share information about campus sustainability features and designs along the way. Kathy talked through the history of ginkgo trees. These large, sturdy trees have been around since the dinosaurs and have unique umbrella-shaped leaves that turn bright yellow in the fall. We also smelled the large oval leaves of the magnolia trees that are located right outside Charles Library!  

Kathleen Salisbury talks about the trees just outside of Charles Library, photo by Heidi Roland Photography

We hope you will join us the next time we invite Kathy back to Main Campus for a tour!