Longwood Gardens...Visit 1

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Just over two hours from here is a botanical garden worth driving for. The Longwood Gardens is a 1,050-acre wonder, with 20 indoor and 20 outdoor gardens.

Our first visit here was spent mostly in the Conservatory, an immense greenhouse system large enough to house full grown trees of all sorts! The weekend we went there they had an orchid show going on. More of them in a later blog.

The gardens started out as the home of early Quaker’s. They bought the property from William Penn in 1700 and established a working farm. In 1798 Joshua and Samuel Peirce began an arboretum on the farm. Longwood owes its present-day success to the Peirces, who actively pursued a Quaker interest in natural history. By 1850, the site was known as one of the finest collections of trees in the nation, and one of the first public parks, and its aesthetic qualities were as important as its botanical significance.

The farm was purchased in 1906 by Pierre du Pont so he could preserve the trees, and from 1907 until the 1930s Mr. du Pont created most of what is enjoyed today.

Exquisite flowers, majestic trees, dazzling fountains, extravagant conservatory, starlit theatre, thunderous organ—all describe the magic of Longwood Gardens, a horticultural showstopper where the gardening arts are encased in classic forms and enhanced by modern technology. Many generations helped create Longwood Gardens, but one individual—Pierre S. du Pont (1870-1954), industrialist, conservationist, farmer, designer, impresario, and philanthropist—made the most enduring contribution. (much of the above came directly from their site)

The front gates

Hibiscus

This is a gate found inside the main room of the Conservatory!

Bird of Paradise

A banana Flower, look closely the “hand” of bananas forms above it

An orchid or two to tease you!

A lily

And back to my favorite (so it seems) hibiscus

Roses

In front and off to one side of the Conservatory is the Topiary Garden…this is a chicken

And the garden dog!

Our first visit was in March, I took over 500 pictures that day!
Hope you enjoyed a sampling!

• 16 Apr, 2010
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