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Monday 10am - 3pm Tuesday 10am - 3pm Friday 10am - 3pm

Andalusia Historic House, Gardens & Arboretum

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Andalusia Historic House, Gardens & Arboretum

Andalusia Historic House, Gardens & Arboretum is a natural paradise located on a beautiful stretch of the Delaware River in Bensalem, PA.

Andalusia is a great place to spend a day exploring history and nature. Andalusia is a National Historic Landmark on the banks of the Delaware River, just 13 miles north of Philadelphia, featuring spectacular gardens and native woodlands. Plan your visit at www.andalusiapa.org.

09/15/2026

Andalusia is open this Saturday, September 19 from 10am to 5pm. Get tickets and learn about our Family Fun Day programming at the link in our bio.

09/12/2026

Hello and welcome back to the . I’m Laura Thompson and every Friday I’ll be sharing observations and happenings from around the garden as this year’s Letitia Glenn Biddle Horticultural Fellow.

Over the Labor Day weekend, the horticulturists and grounds crew took a break from garden work. While we were away, the bees, moths, butterflies and other insects kept busy collecting nectar and pollinating plants.

Predatory mites are another group of arthropods hard at work in the garden. In late July, as part of Andalusia’s Integrated Pest Management strategy, two species of predatory mites—Neoseiulus californicus and Amblyseius andersoni—were released into the garden. Using hand lenses, the team searched the undersides of yellowing leaves for two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae), then hung small sachets filled with beneficial mites on affected plants. Since the release, we’ve seen a marked improvement in the foliage of treated plants, including Phlox paniculata and garden roses.

Though you’re likely to see a variety of winged insects at Andalusia, particularly skippers and swallowtail butterflies, it was a rare treat when Senior Horticulturist Stephanie Harold and I came across a Luna moth (Actias luna) earlier this month.

Do you have a favorite garden insect to watch at work?

09/10/2026

We’re very pleased to announce the return of "A 'Grotesque' Tour at Dusk." Last year’s sold-out evening tour series will make its spooky return to Andalusia on select Thursdays and Fridays in October from 6:00-7:30pm.

Famed author of the macabre Edgar Allan Poe visited Andalusia in 1840, the year he published Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, later giving an inscribed first edition to Nicholas Biddle. This special tour begins at dusk outside the Big House. Once the sun is down, walk the mansion and grounds while hearing selections from Poe’s book with commentary connecting each short story to its reading location.

Tickets are available for $45, and are only $35 for members. Advance tickets are required. Limit four tickets per customer. Only 20 tickets are available for each night. Get yours before they sell out again: https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/andalusiapa/poe-tours

09/09/2026

Taking in all the summery greens before autumn takes over.

09/05/2026

Hello and welcome back to the . I’m Laura Thompson and every Friday I’ll be sharing observations and happenings from around the garden as this year’s Letitia Glenn Biddle Horticultural Fellow.

This summer’s rainfall has been a welcome change from the dry conditions of the past two years. Although the numerous storms have occasionally disrupted work in the gardens, it’s encouraging to see the Philadelphia region gradually emerge from severe drought conditions.

One fun activity this time of year is to take a mushroom walk. The visible, fruiting bodies of fungi are most abundant from late summer through autumn, when the soil is warm and humidity is high. Look around tree bases, old stumps, and fallen limbs, as many species of fungi grow on decaying wood.

Along the Woodland Walk you’ll currently find a particularly impressive Bondarzewia berkeleyi (Berkeley's polypore) at the base of an oak. Unfortunately, this parasitic fungus causes root and heartwood rot over time, but its annual appearance serves as a reminder to the horticulture staff to monitor the tree’s health. My favorite group is the rubbery, bouncy Jelly fungus, like the tiny, bright orange Dacrymyces spathularia we spotted fruiting along a fence rail.

But remember: NEVER eat any mushroom you find in the wild! Many species have toxic lookalikes that can easily be mistaken for mushrooms you may be familiar with.

If you prefer flowers to fungi, here are three species of Hibiscus, all great summer performers, in bloom at Andalusia. In the Long Border you’ll find the moody Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel’ and the taller, more whimsical Hibiscus coccineus (Scarlet Rosemallow). Down along the Delaware, a colony of Hibiscus moscheutos (Swamp or Eastern Rosemallow) thrives in the wet soils and plays host to Ptilothrix bombiformis, a specialist bee that relies almost entirely on native Hibiscus for pollen and nectar.

09/03/2026

Just announced: two workshops at Andalusia this fall. 🍂 Join us on Saturday, October 24 for our Fall Flower Arranging Workshop led by Senior Horticulturist Stephanie Harold. In this make-it-and-take-it class, you’ll design your own fall-themed flower arrangement using a pumpkin as your vessel.

Plus, we’re offering a Botanical Collage Workshop led by ‘Radical Americana’ artist Jody Graff on Saturday, October 10. In our first-ever art-making workshop, Graff will guide you as you create your own quilt collage using natural materials like leaves and petals.

Members can purchase tickets at a discounted rate for both workshops.

Tickets: https://events.ticketleap.com/events/andalusiapa

09/01/2026

Family Fun Day is right around the corner! We have an exciting day planned for the whole family on Saturday, September 19. Historic reenactors, storytimes, art workshops, and more! 🏛️📖👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Learn more about these programs and get tickets here: https://andalusiapa.org/events/family-fun-day/

08/29/2026

Hello and welcome back to the . I’m Laura Thompson and every Friday I’ll be sharing observations and happenings from around the garden as this year’s Letitia Glenn Biddle Horticultural Fellow.

While summer’s official end is still a month away, Andalusia’s staff and visitors were treated to a few days of fall-like weather earlier this week. The short break from the heat and humidity gave the garden team an extra boost of energy as we work to finish our to-do lists in preparation for the change of season ahead.

One task with a firm deadline is installing guards on young and smaller diameter trees, as September marks the start of deer rub season here in the Northeast. Bucks, trying to remove the velvet from their antlers, begin rubbing against the trunks of trees. This rubbing can strip away the bark, exposing and damaging the cambium layer beneath, which transports water and nutrients throughout the tree. Too much damage and the tree can die. While the property perimeter is closed in with fencing, deer are still able to access the site from along the water. After a few days of work, the guards are now installed and will remain in place through early spring as bucks will continue to rub trees during winter—both to mark territory and later to help shed their antlers.

Back in gardens, the Green Walk’s borders are full of pink and white, as Phlox paniculata reaches peak bloom. Nearby, one of my favorite perennials and a signal that autumn is not far off, Eurybia divaricata, White Wood Aster, has just begun. Its central disk flowers change from yellow to red after pollination, indicating to insects that no nectar remains. Another late summer flowering plant in the Asteraceae family is Chrysopsis mariana, Maryland Golden-Aster. Thanks to horticulturist Jackson Barnette for pointing it out, because at only about one foot tall, it’s easy to overlook.

08/28/2026

Arch Street Meeting House and Andalusia Historic House, Gardens & Arboretum are excited to partner on a special program highlighting Andalusia’s current exhibition "Revolutionary Family: The Biddles & American Independence."

Join us at Arch Street Meeting House on Thursday, September 24 at 5:30pm for a screening of engaging documentary videos on the Biddle family and the Revolution, followed by a conversation and audience questions. A light reception will precede the program.‍ ‍Register for free here: https://www.historicasmh.org/events-at-asmh/2026/9/24

08/26/2026

An inviting view down every path. 🌿

Address

1237 State Road
Bensalem, PA
19020

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 3pm
Tuesday	10am - 3pm
Friday	10am - 3pm

Telephone

(215) 245-5479

Website

http://linktr.ee/andalusiapa, http://www.andalusiapa.org/

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