Explore Longwood Gardens

Tall spikes of white blooms reach towards hanging baskets of purple flowers in a bright conservatory.
Holden Barnes

Longwood Gardens, one of America’s quintessential landscapes, is a place of ever-changing seasonal beauty, handcrafted feats of horticultural wonder, and an awe-inspiring collection of the most beautiful plants from around the globe. 

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

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  • 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.

What's in Bloom

See More of What's in Bloom

  • Yulan Magnolia

    Yulan magnolia is a deciduous tree native to central and eastern China, where it has been cultivated in Chinese Buddhist temple gardens since 600 AD. Its flowers were regarded as a symbol of purity in the Tang dynasty and it was planted in the grounds of the emperor’s palace. This specimen tree has an excellent white to ivory colored floral display in the spring before the leaves emerge, which contribute to the origin of the Chinese name for the plant, "jade orchid." With creamy white flowers born on the bare branches at the end of winter, the yulan magnolia is regarded as an emblem of purity, feminine sweetness, and beauty.

  • Siberian Squill

    Scilla siberica, commonly called Siberian squill, is a small bulbous perennial native to southwestern Russia, the Caucasus, and parts of Turkey. It is one of the earliest spring bloomers, producing nodding, vivid blue, star-shaped flowers that can naturalize into striking carpets in lawns and woodland edges. Blooming before trees leaf out, it provides an important early nectar source for pollinators such as bees. Like many spring ephemerals, its foliage emerges, flowers, and then fades back to dormancy by late spring, allowing it to thrive in sunny spring conditions and shaded summer environments.