Registration Link – Click Here
Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2025 | 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: The Venetian Social Club
Cost: Free
Join us on Tuesday, April 22 (Earth Day) from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Venetian Social Club in Chestnut Hill for a community brainstorming session.
Timed with Earth Day—a day rooted in action, advocacy, and local engagement—this session is a chance to share your ideas for programs focused on history, architecture, open space, and community life. Your feedback will help shape the next season of Ask the Experts and Discovering Chestnut Hill, building on what we heard in last year’s strategic planning survey.
You’ll also be invited to vote on program ideas developed by staff and our Program Committee. Depending on interest and feasibility, we expect to move forward with one Ask the Experts and one Discovering Chestnut Hill program this fall, based on the results.
Registration is not required, but appreciated.
Date: Wednesday, April 9, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM
Location: Hybrid (Limited in-person seating in Chestnut Hill, virtual attendance available)
Registration Link: Click HERE for virtual registration
Registration Fee: $15 for Conservancy Members, $25 for Non-Members
Join us for the first installment of our 2025 Discovering Chestnut Hill series on Wednesday, April 9, for “Private Gardens of Philadelphia: Lost and Found,” featuring author and garden historian Nicole Juday.
This hybrid event will take place on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, offering both limited in-person seating and virtual attendance. The in-person program will run from 6:30 to 9:00 PM, while the lecture will begin at 7:00 PM for all attendees. It will be followed by a moderated Q&A led by Conservancy Board Member and landscape architect Rob Fleming. The Q&A will begin around 8:00 PM.
The Philadelphia region is home to more historic private gardens than any other part of the United States. In this engaging talk, Nicole Juday will explore remarkable gardens featured in her recent book, Private Gardens of Philadelphia, highlighting those that have survived against the odds and what they reveal about Philadelphia’s rich social and cultural history. These gardens—hidden behind tall hedges, nestled in bustling neighborhoods, or tucked away down quiet lanes—reflect generations of stewardship, dedication, resilience, and horticultural artistry.
The event will feature breathtaking photography by Rob Cardillo, showcasing the beauty and diversity of these private landscapes, from meticulously maintained estates to gardens that have adapted to environmental and urban challenges such as development pressures, flooding, and deer.
Registration:
Advance registration is required. In-person attendance is limited and expected to fill quickly. Virtual registrants will receive a link to join the event remotely approximately one day in advance of the program.
Space is limited for the in-person attendees; sign up today!
The Chestnut Hill Conservancy’s public programming is made possible through the generous support of our Lead Sponsor, Chubb, General Sponsors, Event Sponsors, and members. John B. Ward proudly serves as the 2025 Discovering Chestnut Hill Event Sponsor, while E.G. Rall Landscape Design is our 2025 Supporting Event Sponsor.
For more information, please get in touch with Chrissy Clawson at Chrissy@CHConservancy.Org or 215-247-9329 x 108.
Tuesday, February 4, 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Virtual, via Zoom
Free, but registration is required.
Register HERE
Join the Chestnut Hill Conservancy for Ask the Experts: Putting Plants to Work with Jeff Lorenz of Refugia Design. Refugia Design embraces the ethos of designing and stewarding landscapes that support native ecosystems to create biological corridors of refuge for plants, people, and wildlife. Refugia founder Jeff Lorenz and the team specialize in transforming lawns into sophisticated and dynamic plant communities. Since 2015, they have created 100+ habitat ‘stepping stone’ gardens within five miles of their Narberth HQ as part of their award-winning Ecological Greenway Network.
Join Jeff as he lifts the veil on traditional landscaping practices to offer tangible creative alternatives that embrace natural processes to create immediate environmental impact by ‘putting plants to work.’
Jeff Lorenz: As founder of Refugia Design, based in Greater Philadelphia, Jeff Lorenz combines his decades of experience in landscape design with a desire for innovation. His sensibility is for immersive outdoor sanctuary spaces that seek to co-exist with, rather than control nature. Refugia’s work can be regularly found in Fine Gardening, Martha Stewart Living, Gardenista, and Architectural Digest. Jeff is the creative thinker behind Refugia’s mission, methodology, and Ecological Greenway Network and truly believes that ‘putting plants to work’ is the only way forward. Award-winning exhibitors at the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show and recipient of multiple local, national, and international design awards from the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Perennial Plant Association; Refugia addresses climate change and loss of biodiversity through landscapes that are resilient, beneficial and beautiful. Jeff resides in Narberth with his creative partner Kayla and daughters Freya and Adelaide.
This program is designed for everyone, from experienced gardeners to those new to sustainable landscaping. During this free virtual lecture, Jeff will provide actionable insights into common issues in our region alongside case study inspiration for creating an ecologically beneficial, beautiful, and resilient garden come spring.
This free program is made possible by the Conservancy’s Lead Sponsor, Chubb, our General Sponsors, and members. It is done in collaboration with the Chestnut Hill Community Association.
For advance questions or registration inquiries, please get in touch with Conservancy Programs and Communications Manager Chrissy Clawson at Chrissy@CHConservancy.Org.
Registration is free but required. Registrants will receive the Zoom meeting link one day before the program’s date.
Discovering Chestnut Hill: “Philly Tree Plan” with Erica Smith Fichman
Discovering Chestnut Hill “Philly Tree Plan” Lecture with Erica Smith Fichman
Thursday, February 22, from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual, via Zoom
Tickets: Conservancy Member Admission $15.00, Non-Member Admission $25.00)
This talk will introduce you to the Philly Tree Plan, a ten-year strategic plan for the equitable planting and care of Philadelphia’s urban forest. Learn about the state of Philadelphia’s urban forest and how it has changed over the past ten years, how the Philly Tree Plan was created and what residents had to say about their urban forest, what the Plan recommends, and the progress that has been made since its release in 2023.
Erica has spent her career connecting people with plants. As the Acting Manager of the Urban Forestry Unit at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, she oversees many projects, including the TreePhilly Community Forestry program, street and park tree planting and maintenance, and emergency tree work. She was also the project lead for the Philly Tree Plan, a 10-year strategic plan for the equitable growth and care of Philadelphia’s urban forest, released in 2023. She is an ISA-certified arborist and the Arbor Day Foundation’s 2018 Trailblazer Award recipient. Erica received a B.S. in biology from Haverford College and an M.S. in environmental horticulture from the University of California, Davis.
Click HERE to register.
Tickets: Conservancy Member Admission $15.00, Non-Member Admission $25.00)
