The City of Arborly Love

A tribute to the trees of Queen Village—and some expert tips on their care and feeding.

By Maureen Brady Weir

Walk through Queen Village on any given day and you are sure to notice rows of charming homes, vibrant shops, and inviting restaurants. Now, take the very same walk and this time pay special attention to the trees. Intrinsic to the fabric of our neighborhood, our trees play an important role in who we are. Witnesses to our history and keepers of our future, they are often overlooked, but the truth is that without them our daily landscapes would be drastically different.

As residents of one of the oldest cities in the country, trees are part of our legacy, starting with the Lenape Indians who tended the original forestland. Sometimes referred to as the City of Ar- borly Love, Philadelphia was considered a hub for the study of botany in the 18th and 19th centuries and was home to renowned tree experts, including famed botanist Thomas Meehan; brother and sister John and Lydia Morris, whose estate is known today as the Morris Arboretum; and, of course, John Bartram, who founded the landmark Bartram Gardens.

Trees are as much a part of our city as street signs and sidewalks, and the good news is that their benefits go well beyond just their beauty. Trees reduce warm summer temperatures through shade and their transpiration of water. As trees release water into the atmosphere from their leaves, the surrounding air is cooled in the form of gas vapor. Additionally, a tree’s canopy acts like an umbrella, blocking out the sun’s radiation. The cooling effect of one young, healthy tree can be equivalent to 10 room-size air conditioners!

Improving air quality and reducing harmful pollutants is another reason to appreciate our urban trees. Through photosynthesis, a tree’s leaves pull in carbon dioxide and, using the sun’s energy, convert it into nutrients. As a by-product of this process, oxygen is released into the air we breathe. A mature tree absorbs approximately 48 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, which equates to a 50-mile drive. Trees are also known to be good for your mental health. Spending time around trees is known to lower blood pressure and improve your mood. Numerous studies show that simply sitting and looking at trees can lower the stress-related hormones cortisol and adrenaline.

Tree Tenders

Queen Village Tree Tenders is an all-volunteer group that has planted more than 300 trees in Queen Village over the past 10 years. It is one of any number of tree tender groups throughout Philadelphia that are aligned with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), which provides the trees that the group plants. In addition to planting trees, the group prunes trees and engages in “pit maintenance” (weeding pits, turning over the soil in the pit, and adding mulch).

Working with PHS, Queen Village Tree Tenders has two plantings a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. If you would like to get a tree in front of your property, either to fill an empty pit or to have a tree planted in a freshly cut pit, you can either apply for a tree online at PHS’s website or contact the current head of Queen Village Tree Tenders, Dan Gibbon, at dgibbon@clarkhill.com. Dan is a good starting point for most anything treerelated—for example, what to do if you have a dead tree in front of your property or one that is failing.

How to care for a tree in front of your house:

For at least the first two summer cycles after the tree is planted, keep the tree well-watered with 20 gallons of water per week.

Keep the tree pit free of weeds and trim off any suckers that are sprouting from the base of the tree; loosen the soil in the pit and put a small quantity of mulch on top of the soil, keeping the mulch away from the trunk of the tree.

If branches are intruding on the street or the sidewalk, let someone from Tree Tenders know so the tree can be properly pruned (as opposed to having branches torn off by passing vehicles or angry pedestrians).

Essential to our local ecosystem, trees support nature by providing protection and much needed resources to our local birds, pollinators, and other animals. Each tree has its own personality and, lucky for us, Queen Village is home to a wide variety of species. According to our neighborhood tree expert, Dan Gibbon, who heads up the Queen Village Tree Tenders group, some of the older tree species you will find in our neighborhood include London Planetree (the large trees in Weccacoe and Mario Lanza Parks), Gink- Dan go, Linden, Oak (found on Bainbridge Green between 3rd and 4th Streets), and Crabapple. Newer species include Lilac, Apple, and Cherry as well as Redbud, Maple, Yellowwood, Hornbeam, Serviceberry, Elm, Horse Chestnut, and Hawthorne. Identifying trees can be a daunting but rewarding experience, but there are plenty of resources to assist you! The Arbor Day Foundation website, arborday. org, offers an online guide that walks you through a series of questions to help you name the species. The Seek app by iNaturalist and PlantSnap are just two of many apps available that allow you to upload photos for quick identification. Or stop by

Headhouse Books (619 S. 2nd Street) and ask about the multitude of books available on our local trees including Philadelphia Trees: A Field Guide to the City and the Surrounding Delaware Valley, produced by the Morris Arboretum.

In many cultural traditions, trees are recognized for having a deep and sacred presence. They give us a connection to our natural surroundings, a lifeline to the earth, and a sense of wisdom that lasts through the ages. Perhaps we should rekindle a new reverence for the trees that stand outside our own front doors, beginning with a walk to simply get to know them. ■

Old Swedes’ Episcopal Church

We are a church where inclusive Christianity is preached, love is love, and kindness is everything. All are welcome. You don’t have to be a member to participate in any of our activities. And, we are right here in Queen Village, afew steps or blocks from your front door.

Easter Week Services

April 6: 7pm Maundy Thursday

April 7: 7pm Good Friday

April 9: 10am Easter with egg hunt

In-person service and livestreamed on our Facebook page “Gloria Dei Old Swedes’ Episcopal Church”

Special Events

April 16: 10am Sunday Worship featuring the Matsiko World Orphan Choir

April 21: 8pm Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber performed by E.J. Simpson (ticketed event)

Weekly Services and Fellowship

10:00 am

Sunday Worship with Eucharist

In-person service and livestreamed on our Facebook page “Gloria Dei Old Swedes’ Episcopal Church”

9:00 am

Monday Morning Prayer

Lift yourself up as you start your week. Join us on Zoom for 10 minutes of morning devotion www.old-swedes.org/10minutes

6:30 pm

Tuesday Musical Meditation

A service of song, quiet prayer, and meditation. All are welcome

Say “I Do” at Philadelphia’s historic wedding venue: Riverside Weddings https://bit.ly/3NapaId