Whether you’re peering into the tiniest detail of a golden intergeneric Oncidium orchid in our Cascade Garden, or looking up at the grandeur of the regal purple Phalaenopsis orbs that float overhead in our Exhibition Hall, every viewpoint of Orchid Extravaganza is one to enjoy—including the very first one when you step into the Conservatory.

Under the direction of Senior Horticulturist Pandora Young, staff and volunteers annually create the Wildlife Tree, an outdoor feature that calls attention to the birds and small mammals that live in the Gardens. This year, the Wildlife Tree has been dramatically redesigned as a spectacular 15-foot “tree” made of more than 200 illuminated birdhouses, located at the east end of Flower Garden Drive. Surrounding the tree are four smaller Fraser firs ornamented in suet and seeds to feed the wildlife.

Now is the time of year when you may find yourself pulling your boxes of Christmas ornaments and decorations from your basement or attic and getting ready to trim the tree. Here at Longwood, however, we like to do things a little differently with our ornament collection.

When it comes to the logistics behind Christmas at Longwood, we take this well-practiced approach: start with what you know and find out what you don’t. With this year’s floating forest display above the Fern Floor, we had much to learn, much to test, and much to love about this intensely logistics-focused display—with a beautiful result.

When you look at this year’s Ballroom Tree with its ornate gilded topper and more than 125 meticulously wrapped packages in rich pink and green hues, lobstering probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Interestingly enough, this beautiful tree was inspired by a tree made from, of all things, lobster pots.

This year’s imaginative Christmas display, in which we look at trees in a whole new light, most certainly hits a high note in the Music Room. It’s here where creative paper and book embellishments, anchored by a rotating 18-foot Fraser fir graced with a garland of silver and copper books, truly sing in a masterfully reimagined library concept.

Over the past 11 months, Longwood horticulturists have meticulously trained their chrysanthemum bonsai in preparation for Chrysanthemum Festival. The result is a collection of more than 90 beautiful plants, which can be viewed on a rotating basis through November 18, 2018.

At Longwood Gardens, we start planning for our Chrysanthemum Festival more than a year ahead of our display. At our July 2017 planning meeting for this year’s display, Longwood’s Associate Director, Display Design Jim Sutton brought with him a photo of a mum grown into the shape of a Japanese handheld fan. Jim suggested we try to grow one of our own here at Longwood, and our work began.

Renowned for its rare cultivars and imaginative forms, our Chrysanthemum Festival is the majestic embodiment of our unwavering dedication to preserving the time-honored technique and culture of mum-growing.

One of the pleasures of organizing a convening like Designing Water, which happened last week at Longwood, is that—by setting up a theme of disciplinary concerns, a framework for discussing them, and gathering smart and talented people—something great unfolds. Usually, hopefully, you wind up with a conversation that is different from the one you imagined because of all the intelligence in the room. This convening did just that.

This week, Kevin Sharkey and I participated in a garden discussion and book signing at the exquisite Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. More than 1,450 guests attended the talk in the historic Open Air Theatre.

Dorrance ‘Dodo’ Hamilton was a longtime and avid supporter of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. She passed away in April of 2017. Many know her as an heiress to the Campbell Soup fortune; those of us in the Brandywine Valley region remember her more for her outstanding entries in The Philadelphia Flower Show for so many years.

I love visiting gardens whenever I can, especially during this time when many conservatories are filled with colorful orchid displays. If you're in or near historic Kennett Square, Pennsylvania from now through March 25th, I encourage you to make a stop at Longwood Gardens to see the annual “Orchid Extravaganza.”

It’s the time of year that I anticipate more than any other at Longwood Gardens—Orchid Extravaganza is back for a triumphant expression of beauty through March 25, 2018. Our Conservatory is always filled with color, texture, form, and surprise, but when dozens of Longwood horticulturists are invited to express their passion for orchids (combined with an incomparable level of dedication and creativity), you have something that truly transcends description.

This year, our horticulturists are celebrating Christmas with a French flair, heralding the season with many a fleur-de-lis. You’ll spy this floral symbol of French royalty throughout our Conservatory—as ornaments on trees, in the design of the fruit floating on the Fern Floor of Exhibition Hall, and in the living wreath near the Potting Shed. A sense of luxury and opulence weaves through our Garden spaces, creating a tapestry of exquisite details. In a single visit, transport yourself to the palatial rooms of Versailles or to the quiet countryside of Provence, with your imagination as your passport.

Longwood’s Christmas display develops around a theme—some unifying concept that ties together the colors and imagery throughout the Conservatory. The theme is chosen by our horticulture staff, who then involve colleagues from throughout the Gardens to brainstorm ideas and come up with different ways to express the theme. This year we were inspired by the motifs of classical French design. As soon as the French theme was chosen, we all agreed, “There must be a parterre garden!”

In October we wrapped up our third season of a friendly competition in our Trial Garden. Our gardeners submitted plant combinations and designs that were showcased for all of our guests to enjoy—and vote for their favorites!

As Longwood’s Display Designer, it is my responsibility to make sure that our Chrysanthemum Festival is beautiful and engaging. In order to make the Festival successful we rely on a very talented group of individuals, and it is my privilege to lead the creative process. The plans for Chrysanthemum Festival happen more than one year in advance, starting with my conceptual plan that takes into account color, height, texture, and other aesthetic considerations.

While I was at QVC earlier this week, I had the opportunity to visit the exquisite Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square. If you are in the area through November 19th, stop by and visit the Chrysanthemum Festival, where you’ll see thousands of colorful mums planted in orbs, spirals, and pagodas—you’ll love it. Here are photos from my recent visit to Longwood Gardens—enjoy.

The 2017 Orchid Extravaganza at Longwood Gardens is certainly the most outstanding display I’ve seen here since we started this exhibition! There are more orchids in more places than you could hope to enjoy in one morning. The Longwood team has scoured the orchid world to bring you some of the most dynamic selections available to gardeners! The careful composition of colors and textures is what really makes this extravaganza so special.