Staff and volunteers often put months of collection, foraging, work, and crafting into each handmade decorative you see in the Shop—and we’re so proud to share with you the story behind them.

This year, as part of the Professional Horticulture Program, our nine students have been asked to design, create and maintain three garden designs based on the scheme of change and adaptation.

Through April, classic spring plants such as hydrangeas, azaleas, and fuchsias bloom indoors in new and exciting varieties.

Follow along as we share just a few of the many artistic elements—and the artists behind them—that light the way for this year’s fantastic outdoor display.

One of the many elements of botanical artistry on display during this year’s A Longwood Christmas greets you just as you enter the Conservatory—an 8-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide living tree swathed in 1,800 gorgeous hardy Sempervivum, or hens-and chicks.

We are excited to be highlighting a facet of Mr. du Pont’s vision: practical education, in the form of spectacular fresh-cut floral arrangements and intricate botanical art, all proudly displayed in our Conservatory for the duration of A Longwood Christmas.

Follow along as we track the process behind selecting Longwood ornaments for display, and where each spends most of its time alongside 66,999 of its closest friends.

Longwood proposed that Westphal design students create two couture gown-like sculptures that would be completely designed and constructed out of botanicals, and displayed in the Music Room during this year’s A Longwood Christmas.

This summer, the Idea Garden is home to three special plots that showcase a guest favorite, as well as culturally significant crops that tell robust stories.

Through a bevy of tropical plants, palms, and Longwood favorites, we’ve planted our Conservatory in an asymmetrical design that encourages guests to slow down, look, and think a lot more about the nuances of the design.

Even with all its grandeur, our Music Room scene still feels intimate, cozy, and welcoming … and that’s the exact sentiment we’ve set out to achieve in this spectacular fireside lodge setting.

Here at Longwood (and at home), arrangements made from dried flowers serve as spectacular options for the holiday (or any) season … and they help showcase and celebrate the beauty of plants long after their natural growing season.

Our Exhibition Hall has been transformed into a true environment, meant to whisk you away to an entirely different world. How we created this world is a story in itself.

This imaginative display serves as the largest and oldest of its kind in North America, and it’s a spectacular time of year in which we stretch our horticultural limits to put on a colorful show for our guests.

On October 14, 15, and 16, we are honored to share a very special Luminaria Nights display inspired by the artform of sashiko—a traditional hand-stitching practice developed in Japan.

As the gardener responsible for the Waterlily Display, I can say firsthand just how much we delight in sharing the beauty and the display possibilities of our aquatics collection with our guests.

Discover hidden secrets in the Main Fountain Garden, identify trees in Peirce’s Woods, search for wildlife in our Meadow Garden, and even take a meditative moment with garden-inspired yoga poses.

These late spring flowers have just recently made their debut along Flower Garden Walk, but we’ve been carefully planning and coaxing their arrival since last summer, using a growing technique rooted in precision and care.