This award, established in 2022, honors individuals who exemplify the values of Andalusia resident and gardener Letitia Glenn Biddle. Its recipients are advocates of education in the horticultural community and pioneers in the design and stewardship of public gardens and arboreta.
Letitia Glenn Biddle was a champion of land stewardship and gifted in the art of growing plants and garden design. She also promoted horticulture education, skills development, and providing opportunities for those interested in horticulture professions. Moving to Andalusia in 1888 after marrying Charles Biddle, she noticed only vegetables were planted on the grounds, so she worked with gardeners to add flowers. She focused her efforts on the northeast quadrant of the Walled Garden, which today remains home to some of Andalusia’s most beautiful blooms, including roses and wisteria.
Letitia’s work extended well beyond Andalusia, influencing regional and national gardening communities. She was a cofounder of both the Garden Club of Philadelphia, which held its first meeting at Andalusia in 1904, and the Garden Club of America, which drafted its bylaws in the Billiard Room in 1913. The following decade she helped to expand women’s opportunities to study and practice horticulture as a cofounder of the School of Horticulture for Women, now Temple Ambler School of Horticulture and Landscape Design. Until her death in 1950, Letitia Glenn Biddle remained an avid horticulturalist and steward of the gardens at Andalusia.
List of Winners
- 2022 – Jenny Rose Carey
- 2023 – Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd
