From the temple gardens of Mesopotamia to the household gardens at Pompeii, archaeologists have uncovered exciting evidence for ancient gardens and the plant species they once contained.

Dr. Chantel White, archaeobotanist at the Penn Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, will discuss how plant remains are preserved in garden contexts (and, in some cases, even grown from archaeological seeds!). She will discuss her recent archaeobotanical work in the nineteenth-century gardens of American poet Emily Dickinson located in Amherst, MA and the plant remains recently studied from Bartram’s eighteenth-century home that provide intriguing evidence for early garden activities in historical Philadelphia.

This annual event recognizes women in the field of horticulture who epitomize the founding principles of the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women (PSHW). The women recognized and presenting each year embody the “educated and earnest-minded women” with “trained hands and trained minds” that were the product of the PSHW. The presenters represent women who continue to do work in the field while advancing the profession and science of horticulture.

This program is being presented in partnership with Women in Horticulture of the Delaware Valley.