Urban Jungle

Urban Jungle's President, Curt Alexander, grew up on a vineyard in California. Growing up in California fostered his love of horticulture, and attending West Point to obtain a mechanical engineering education honed his engineering design skills. When he moved to Philadelphia, he realized how stark the city is with its' brick and mortar, concrete, and sidewalks. For his taste, it lacked life and greenery— so he did something about it.

Starting with his own house, he and his wife Tara put in window boxes, hanging baskets, planters, and created a green facade. It wasn’t long before people would come by and ask, “Can you do this for me?” So they would do the same for friends and neighbors— and that’s how it started.

After recognizing the demand for greenery within the city, Alexander opened a retail shop in South Philadelphia in 2009. Urban Jungle has sat on Passyunk Ave for over a decade with the mission of bringing nature to the urban environment. We sell everything you need for your houseplants, from the soil to the plant itself. As Tara says, plants make people happy— and we want to bring that happiness to our community in Philadelphia.