The Sea Garden at the Seashore House

At Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), we want all of our patients to bloom and grow to the best of their abilities. In this spirit, CHOP has opened a garden for patients and families on the third-floor rooftop playdeck of Children’s Seashore House.

The Sea Garden at the Seashore House:

  • Helps patients heal and rehabilitate
  • Inspires, educates and entertains patients, families and staff
  • Brings the outdoors to children who must spend a lot of time inside
  • Builds community among patients, families and staff
  • Encourages healthful nutrition and activity
  • Encourages environmental stewardship
  • Serves as a place of nurturing for children sick and well. Just as they have different needs, the garden will host different plants: natives, edibles and eye-pleasing shrubs and flowers.
  • Serves as a place where patients and families can be invigorated and also find peace
  • Works as a colorful, fragrant, living extension of our mission, helping children with different challenges bloom and grow to the best of their abilities

Watch a video about the impact the Sea Garden has had on one of our patients, Colton.

View a slideshow of pictures of the Sea Garden.

Sea Garden

  • Group photo from Sea Garden April 2019
  • Child touching soil in Sea Garden
  • Patient putting hand in Sea Garden soil
  • Patient watering plant in Sea Garden area
  • Male patient watering plants in the Sea Garden
  • Sea Garden Phillies Carecrow
  • Closeup of Sea Garden Carecrow
  • Sea Garden planting boxes
  • Sea Garden
  • Sea Garden
  • Sea Garden
  • Sea Garden
  • Colton recovering from brain surgery watering the garden
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Bringing the garden to life

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is excited to have a partnership with Groundswell Design Group, a nationally celebrated landscape build and design firm, based in Hopewell, N.J., on the vision for the garden.  Working directly with a team from CHOP, the Groundswell team, comprised of landscape and hardscape designers and installers, worked to create a vision for the garden that was true to the core philosophy that design should take a holistic approach and create moments beyond just the meandering landscape experience.

CHOP is also thankful for a partnership with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, an organization that provided support for Sea Garden planning and planting, and will participate in ongoing upkeep. We also thank Johnny's Selected Seeds, which has donated all the seeds planted in our garden!    

Groundswell's design was inspired by the healing nature of the sea, with the goal of bringing the calm of the sand and the sea to patients and families. In addition to the beautiful design, the garden will include ongoing educational programming for patients and families, that will include everything from alphabet gardening and story-telling, to nutrition and healthy eating.