Explore Longwood Gardens

Closeup of yellow blossoms in  the foreground against a blurred background of hanging baskets and trees lit by sunlight through conservatory windows.
Holden Barnes

From our humble beginnings as a Quaker farmstead and arboretum, to Pierre S. du Pont’s forward-thinking stewardship, to today’s collection of renowned landscape designers, horticulturists, and architects, our great garden of the world evolves and emerges again and again.

Through Longwood Gardens and its program of outstanding horticultural display, every visitor to the Gardens has the opportunity to gain, culturally and spiritually, a better peace of mind.

Russell J. Seibert, Longwood’s first director

Explore nearly 200 acres of lush, formal gardens, open meadows, and winding paths to breathtaking Brandywine Valley vistas. Together, mesmerizing displays, feats of engineering, and science-based research and conservation work harmoniously toward the overarching goal to unite and inspire our guests in appreciation of beauty—as only Longwood can. 

Explore Our Gardens

  • Our Districts
    A stone path winds through a lush room of colorful plants with a hanging light above

    Our Districts

    Explore nearly 200 acres of lush, formal gardens, open meadows, and winding paths.

  • Our Seasons
    looking through fall leaves to the canopy cathedral treehouse

    Our Seasons

    We honor the four seasons with five unique Longwood seasons, celebrating the bounty of our gardens throughout the cycles of renewal, growth, and ever-evolving splendor. 

  • Our Plants
    close up of orange Clivia Miniata with green and yellow center

    Our Plants

    Explore over 10,000 species and varieties of plants, representing 200 different plant families. 

  • Our Science
    A person holds a small vial with plant material inside in a lab

    Our Science

    Our scientific work lays the groundwork for discoveries that expand our understanding of the natural world and help perpetuate and celebrate its beauty for generations to come.

  • Witch-hazel

    'Jelena' is an early-flowering selection of Hamamelis × intermedia, a hybrid between Japanese witch-hazel (Hamamelis japonica) and Chinese witch-hazel (Hamamelis mollis). These large, deciduous shrubs provide excellent winter interest with their slightly fragrant, coppery orange, spider-like flowers that start to appear in mid- to late January.  'Jelena' is easy to grow in full sun or part shade in well-drained soil.  The winter flowers are best illuminated by full sun and are best shown against a dark green background of conifers or broadleaf evergreens.
  • Aloe

    Safari Orange aloe, Aloe ‘ANDora’, provides winter color thanks to showy spikes of brilliant orange flower clusters, which attract hummingbirds when grown outside. This hybrid Safari Orange is a result of a breeding program that started in South Africa in 1973 that was looking for hybrid aloe selections that had ideal horticultural characteristics such as vigor, flowering consistency, and disease resistance. This perennial succulent needs excellent drainage when grown in pots.