What is your very first memory of a plant? When we posed that question to members of Longwood’s Education team, the answers came quickly. Though years had passed, each educator vividly recalled the people, places, colors, scents, and emotions tied those first encounters with plants. What emerged was more than a collection of childhood stories. Again and again, the memories returned to the same themes: family, curiosity, tradition, wonder, and a growing sense of belonging in the natural world. Their stories—as shared here—remind us that plants are often only part of what we remember. Just as lasting are the people, places, traditions, and moments connected to them. That understanding is at the heart of Longwood Gardens’ Traveling Seeds program, a free Longwood educator-led initiative that introduces thousands of young learners to the wonders of the plant world. Here, our educators share some of their favorite plant memories, and how the program is helping a new generation grow and bloom.
Tomato vines climbed through a small backyard in Southwest Philadelphia. Grapevines stretched overhead, fig trees offered shade, and a grandfather who had once farmed in Italy patiently shared stories about each plant with his granddaughter in his very broken English.
For Longwood K–12 Educator Terri Miller, those afternoons felt magical. Her grandparents had come to the United States through Ellis Island and eventually settled in Philadelphia’s Italian neighborhood. Although they had left their homeland behind, Miller’s grandfather recreated a small piece of it in his backyard garden. “There were beautiful tomato plants, grapevines, and fig trees,” Miller recalls. “I remember spending time out there with him as he told me all about the plants. It was a very special time and a memory I will always cherish.”
Decades later, that small backyard garden still lives vividly in her memory. She isn’t alone.
Traveling Seeds program materials await exploration. Photo by Laurie Carrozzino.
For many of us, our earliest experiences with plants remain surprisingly clear, even after decades have passed. A familiar fragrance, the texture of a flower petal, the taste of a vegetable grown in a backyard garden, or the sight of a favorite tree can instantly transport us to another time.
Thousands of miles away, Longwood K–12 Educator Lina Bamihos's first plant memories took root in her grandmother’s garden in Greece. “She grew roses and gardenias in large olive oil tins,” Bamihos remembers. “The gardenias were pure white and velvety soft, and the roses were a delicate red. I can still remember their amazing scents and beauty.”
Long after names and dates have faded, the fragrance of a flower can instantly transport us back to childhood.
Longwood K–12 Educator Susan Siensa’s earliest plant memory centered on a small playhouse her father built especially for her. Just outside its door, her mother planted vibrant Portulaca, commonly known as moss roses. “That image is etched in my mind,” Siensa says. Today, she continues planting moss roses in her own garden, creating a living tribute to her parents.
Portulaca umbraticola ‘POR1600’ Mojave Red® shown growing in Longwood’s Square Fountain Garden. Photo by Amy Simon Berg.
Not every meaningful connection to plants begins in a garden. Longwood K–12 Educator Jo Anne Entrekin’s began along the familiar walk to elementary school. She and her friends admired a bridal wreath shrub each morning, weaving blossoms into tiny bouquets and hair wreaths.
Gardening wasn’t a special event in Longwood K–12 Educator Dori Capretta’s childhood; it was simply part of everyday life growing up on a farm in Ohio. Those early experiences eventually grew into a passion shared across generations, and today her son has built a career cultivating plants.
Students see firsthand a variety of seeds, and their many possibilities, during a Traveling Seeds program. Photo by Laurie Carrozzino.
Longwood K–12 Educator Kathy Andrzejewski remembers planting marigolds with her father and saving seeds for the following spring, lessons in patience and stewardship that she now shares through horticultural therapy and nature journaling while introducing participants to the concept of biophilia.
Marigolds punctuate Longwood’s Idea Garden in this September 2024 photo. Photo by Bob Doerr.
Research has shown that positive experiences with nature during childhood can nurture curiosity, emotional well-being, and a lasting appreciation for the living world. Our earliest encounters with plants become intertwined with the people we love, the places where we feel safe, and the moments that shape who we become. Which brings us to Longwood’s Traveling Seeds program.
Developed by Longwood Associate Director of School & Youth Programs Michelle Cugini, the program encourages critical thinking, sensory exploration, environmental stewardship, and early STEM learning. Launched as a pilot program in 2019, Traveling Seeds brings hands-on plant exploration directly into pre-kindergarten classrooms throughout our community, within a 20-mile radius of Longwood. We bring the Gardens right to them.
Longwood K–12 Educator Lynn Trouba visits a pre-K classroom as part of our Traveling Seeds program. Photo by Laurie Carrozzino.
Since its inception, Traveling Seeds has introduced more than 2,600 pre-kindergarten students to Longwood Gardens and the wonder of the plant world. In fall 2024, the program became completely free, expanding its reach even further. During this interactive program, our educators guide students to use their senses to explore a living plant, discover plant parts, and find out what it needs to grow. Students sow seeds to, long after the program visit concludes, nurture and observe within their own classroom. All program materials and classroom instruction are included, and each participating student receives admission to bring their family of up to five to the Gardens.
Years from now, many of these children may not remember every detail of their classroom lesson. But they may remember pressing a seed into the soil. They may remember the excitement of discovering they helped something grow.
A young learner during a Traveling Seeds program … perhaps making an early plant memory. Photo by Laurie Carrozzino.
Decades ago, a little girl stood beside her grandfather beneath grapevines and fig trees in a small Philadelphia backyard. She couldn’t have known those afternoons would stay with her for the rest of her life.
Today, children in our Traveling Seeds Program are creating memories of their own.
Years from now, one of them may catch the scent of a flower, feel the warmth of soil between their fingers, or watch a sunflower sway in the summer breeze and suddenly be transported back to the moment it all began … because every connection to nature begins with a seed, a moment of wonder, and a memory waiting to grow.
Editor’s note: Requests for fall 2026 Traveling Seeds programs are now open. Programs are offered on select dates in October and November. Learn more here.
