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New Pop-Up Garden Opens On South Street

By Cherri Gregg

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has transformed a vacant lot on South Street near 15th Sreet into a lush, shaded, pop-up garden.

The new pop-up garden is adjacent to the Jamaican Jerk Hut in the 1400 Block of South Street.

"People probably walked by the lot so many times and said, 'you know what? Something should happen there,'" says Drew Belcher, President of the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society.

And something did happen, thanks to a partnership with the lot's owner, music mogul Kenny Gamble and his wife, Fatimah.

"They really made something out of nothing," says Gamble, who saw the garden for the first time this week.

"It's just beautiful," says Fatimah Gamble.

The lot had been vacant for more than a decade. Now, the prime piece of South Street real estate feels like South Beach.

"We have palm trees, we have a big terrace with umbrellas," says Belcher, "and in the evenings all of this stuff just lights up. It's beautiful."

There's also a hammock, sitting areas and a full bar that feature local, organic drinks with a garden theme.

"Tonight, it's lemonade basil vodka, so it's really from the garden and everything is inspired by the garden," he says, "beer is made of hops and hops is a plant."

Each day the garden will feature a different food truck in the evenings, as well as a band.

"This is really the grown side of South Street," says one visitor, "let the kids play on the other side; grown ups play up here -- real sexy like."

"It's a relaxing place to just lay back with some friends and have a couple drinks," says another visitor.

The pop-up garden is open seven days a week from noon until 11 p.m. through October. Proceeds from the food and drinks go towards helping the PHS.

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