Day at Longwood Gardens

 Friday, July 22, 2022

Hi Blog!

It's been a while since we've been in Chester County. We had some free time this morning and decided to visit an old favorite - Longwood Gardens.

We only had a few hours to explore, so our first stop was the Conservatory. On the way there, we made a quick detour through the Rose Garden (see the photo above) and the Topiary Garden.  At Longwood, the Topiary Garden is not only a place of beauty, but an experience made possible by the many horticulturists who have shaped this beloved space for nearly a century. 

Longwood Gardens exists because a lumber mill operator was about to cut down old growth trees for timber in early 1906. This threat moved Pierre S. du Pont, American entrepreneur, businessman, philanthropist, and member of the prominent du Pont family to take action. On July 20, 1906, 36-year-old du Pont purchased the Pierce Farm primarily to preserve the trees. He was not planning to create Longwood Gardens, but within a few years, his desire to make it a place where he could entertain his friends transformed a simple country farm into one of the country's leading horticultural display gardens.

Ten years after purchasing Longwood, Pierre du Pont was just getting warmed up. By 1916 he was contemplating grand indoor facilities. The result was the stunning Conservatory, a perpetual Eden, that opened in 1921.

When you walk into the Conservatory, it is hard to believe it is over 100 years old. There is so much life inside it feels like a living breathing entity.

With over 110,000 plants inside the Conservatory, it was hard to pick just one.

So, here are some more.

During the summer, Longwood normally hosts an evening of fireworks and fountains. However, there is a huge construction protect on side to expand the Conservatory. They have cancelled the fireworks but have added unique light installation by Bruce Munro. Even in broad daylight, the light display installation looks amazing.

After strolling through the very humid conservatory, we passed through the Silver Garden. We miss the cacti of Arizona.

We spent a lot of time in the Orchid House. The displays were carefully arranged and categorized to show the differences between the various orchids in the collection.

We could have taken dozens of photos, but we tried to pick just the best of the best, sir!

As we worked our way around the Conservatory, we felt like we were walking through a tropical jungle.

As we left the Conservatory, we passed through the Bonsai Display. Here is our favorite.

Longwood Gardens has a history that dates back to the 1700s. A Quaker farmer named George Peirce purchased 402 acres of English-claimed land from William Penn's commissioners. George's son Joshua cleared and farmed the land and in 1730 he built the brick farmhouse that, enlarged, still stands today. In 1798, Joshua's twin grandsons Samuel and Joshua, who had inherited the farm, actively pursued an interest in natural history and began planting an arboretum that eventually covered 15 acres. The collection included specimens that they collected from the wild as well as plants acquired from some of the region's leading botanists.

By 1850, the arboretum boasted one of the finest collections of trees in the nation and had become a place for the locals to gather outdoors – a new concept that was sweeping America at the time. Community picnics and socials were held at Peirce's Park in the mid to late 19th century. The Pennsylvania guide noted in 1940 that "Longwood" received its present name from 'Long Woods,' as the section was known before the Civil War.

Pictured below is the first greenhouse on the property, which stretches from the old Pierce family home to the addition built by du Pont. Today the two houses are a history museum.

In 1928, du Pont began adding fountains to a garden he had begun developing in 1921. The space, directly south of the Conservatory, would become du Pont's most ambitious project—the five-acre Main Fountain Garden. The Main Fountain Garden "combines Italianate ornamentation and French grandeur with World's Fair showmanship. Like other great fountains, it is an engineering tour de force using the latest technology of the time." The Main Fountain Garden debuted to the public in 1931 and was the last major project in the Gardens during du Pont's life.

The fountain show was dramatic, as you can see from this video link, with booms from air cannons to accompany the pulsing fountains! 

After a fine misting from the fountain show, we stopped at the Cafe for a quick lunch. We finished our visit to Longwood Gardens with a loop around the west side of the park. We strolled through the meadow garden and followed the boardwalk around to the the Italian Water Garden.

Inspired by a trip he’d taken in 1913 to the Villa Gamberaia near Florence, Italy, Pierre du Pont planned every aspect of the project for what he would call “The Water Garden.”  From the sculptures to the engineering calculations, his attention to every detail was remarkable; he even determined that the northernmost pools should be built 14-feet longer than those to the south to counteract foreshortening from the viewing terrace. We found it a very cool place to visit on a very hot afternoon.

Our last stop was the Canophy Cathedral tree house. This ornate timber frame structure was inspired by Norwegian stave churches. The access stairs and a large open deck offer a magnificent lakefront view towards the Italian Water Gardens. A grand, gable window offers additional views over Large Lake. Reclaimed Douglas fir timbers and cedar planking with an oiled finish create a warm, rich glow. We've found our forever and ever house!

We probably could have spent the rest of the day exploring the gardens, but we had one more stop to make today. More on our visit to the Brandywine River Museum in the next blog!