Standing tall amid the tranquil winter beauty of our outdoor gardens is the new West Conservatory, which keeps sun-loving plants inside perfectly healthy and thriving even when temperatures outside drop. How do we keep our plants so happy? In addition to the hard work of our horticulturists, engineering and innovation play a large part in the care of our plants—by way of automated technology; new energy-saving heating and cooling systems; and more. By working with nature and never against it—and to adapt to the needs of its Mediterranean-inspired plant palette—we built our West Conservatory with energy-efficiency and sustainability at top of mind. Learn how we work behind the scenes to maintain the West Conservatory as a remarkable living and breathing glasshouse through these winter months, and beyond.
Automated Tech
The West Conservatory’s technology features help our team monitor weather conditions, care for our plant collections, and enhance the guest experience. On top of The Grove—our new administrative building steps away from the West Conservatory—is a weather station equipped to monitor outside temperatures, humidity levels, sunlight, and more. The station gives us data we can then track and thereby program our systems to regulate temperatures in the West Conservatory. These data are combined with data from a collection of sensors within the West Conservatory to control the roof vents, side windows, earth ducts, steam heating, and shades to weather conditions and outside temperatures in real-time, automatically.
Our computer-controlled vents and windows in our West Conservatory open and close as needed to maintain the optimal temperature inside. Photo by Holden Barnes.
Earth Ducts
Newly introduced to Longwood are 10 earth ducts—300-foot long, three-foot diameter tubes that are buried underground and convey outdoor air into the West Conservatory. During the summer, the warm outdoor air traveling through the ducts is moderated by the surrounding soil that is kept at around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Simultaneously, the air inside the West Conservatory rises as it warms and escapes through the automated vents in the roof. During the winter, the cold outdoor air coming through the ducts is warmed by the surrounding soils.
While the earth ducts do not completely warm or cool the incoming outdoor air during extreme temperatures, they do sufficiently temper the incoming air to increase the number of days per year when no mechanical heating or cooling is required. On those days when mechanical heating and cooling is required, the amount of energy necessary to achieve target temperatures is reduced because we are starting with air that is already tempered by the earth ducts. Additionally, taking in dry winter air from outside and funneling it into the West Conservatory also helps control the indoor humidity—as a glasshouse can naturally become moist due to condensation when outdoor temperatures are below indoor temperatures. Dry air is better for the Mediterranean plants within the glasshouse.
Mediterranean Landscape-Inspired Plant Palette
When it comes to incorporating innovative systems in our Gardens, man-made systems are not the only stars in our energy-saving efforts. By nature, Mediterranean landscape plants themselves—from willow acacia (Acacia salicina) to Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) to different varieties of aloe and agave—are happier in drier soil and cooler temperatures when compared to tropical and other subtropical plants. The species of Agave found in the West Conservatory are native to Mexico, where they live in a desert or seasonally dry tropical biome. As such, we can keep the temperature in the West Conservatory as low as 45 degrees during the nighttime and fill it with dry air, which both keeps our plants happy and reduces our energy and water consumption.
Butterfly agave (Agave potatorum 'El Camaron') thrives in dry soil—so we can take care of it using less water. Photo by Becca Mathias.
Biofiltration
To manage the health of the West Conservatory’s water features, Longwood Gardens utilizes biological treatment instead of chemicals. Separate biological treatment systems are maintained for the indoor pools, outdoor pools, and the Waterlily Court. Each dedicated system includes a filter to remove suspended solids and a series of biofilter vessels. Each vessel is approximately 3 feet in diameter and contains plastic beads and a suite of beneficial bacteria that has been placed and grown on the surface of the beads. The number of vessels required by each water feature ranges from four to five. These bacteria preferentially consume nitrogen, phosphorous, and other nutrients in the water that, left unchecked, would lead to algae growth. After moving through the biofilter vessels, the water is re-filtered to remove any remaining particulates and then disinfected using ultraviolet light before returning to the water features.
The entire volume of water contained in the West Conservatory’s water features cycles through the filters five to six times per day. These environmentally friendly and sustainable features help keep the water clean and healthy for our plants and visitors, without the use of any chemicals.
We utilize biological treatment, not chemicals, when maintaining the health of our West Conservatory’s waterways and aquatic plants. Photo by Becca Mathias
Stormwater Collection
Just like a homeowner would utilize a rain barrel to collect water from their roof top and then use that water for their garden, we’re following that same technique on a much larger scale. Utilizing a combination of dedicated downspouts on the roofs of the West Conservatory and The Grove, and a series of underground tanks that can accommodate about 20,000 gallons of water each, we are now collecting and using stormwater coming from the roof tops of these buildings. The harvested rainwater in the tanks is filtered to remove particulates, disinfected with ultraviolet light, and then—depending on the amount and timing of precipitation—introduced as makeup water into water features, used for irrigation, and more. Stormwater harvesting from the new West Conservatory and The Grove is estimated to save between 700,000 and 1 million gallons annually—and we’re exploring more ways to elevate our stormwater collection.
The One Water Journey
While our stormwater collection system is a component of our overall efforts to utilize more sustainable methods of water-use, our philosophy behind the importance of conserving water goes even deeper into the heart of Longwood’s values. We approach water management in a way that we call One Water—a concept based on the recognition that all water has value and, when properly handled, can be reused multiple times therefore reducing our overall demand on groundwater. Collecting stormwater; using a timer and drip irrigation system throughout our outdoor gardens; using reclaimed water through our facilities in The Grove, the Conservatory District, and Beer Garden; and more are all established initiatives to drive our commitment to our One Water journey.
Longwood’s lakes and other watersheds are also an important part of our One Water journey—as they benefit habitats and contribute to the cycle of water management. Photo by Becca Mathias.
The new West Conservatory is a living, breathing world of its own, just like all of Longwood—and the health of all our Gardens indoors and out is interconnected. Our work to reduce our energy usage, employ innovative ways to collect and conserve stormwater, ensure the health of our water features, and more, are all efforts to maintain Longwood as a haven for plant life through any weather conditions—and far into the future.
