Explore Longwood Gardens

Purple and pink waterlilies amid mid-green to dark green leaves.
Cathy Matos

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.

  • Tanzanian Waterlily 

    Besides featuring a beautiful and colorful collection of hardy and tropical waterlilies from many regions of the world, we also showcase the beauty of our ever-evolving plant exploration program at Waterlily Court. As part of our growing focus on global conservation, particularly in tropical regions, we have prioritized recent work in Tanzania. Since 2023, Peter Zale, Ph.D., our Director of Conservation Horticulture & Collections, has made three expeditions to the region, concentrating on Nymphaea stuhlmannii, a rare yellow waterlily endemic to just 20 square miles of central Tanzania. Threatened by habitat loss from rice farming and grazing by hippos and elephants, this species had not been cultivated for over a century. Working with local partners, we located wild populations and were able to import live tubers to Longwood. By understanding its cultural needs, we were able to hand-pollinate flowers and produce viable seeds for our own collection. Now, the lemon-yellow blooms of Nymphaea stuhlmannii can be seen in our Waterlily Court, with seeds preserved in our conservation seedbank to help ensure its survival for generations to come.
  • Perennial Phlox

    Phlox paniculata is a perennial species native to the United States and grows in open woodlands, thickets and meadows.  'David' is a white-flowering selection which grows to a height of 25 to 40 inches, in partial shade or full sun, and blooms from late June until early September. Phlox paniculata 'David' was discovered in 1987 by F.M. Mooberry, respected native plant horticulturalist and former Horticultural Coordinator at the Brandywine Conservancy in Chadds Ford, PA.  Recognizing its horticultural potential, she named the cultivar 'David' in honor of her husband. This selection has since become renowned for its mildew resistance (a common issue with phlox), and has been widely propagated and celebrated in gardens across the United States.