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![A pink camellia flower in bloom with many green leaves around it](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2023-03/617250_Camellia%20_unnamed%20Longwood%20hybrid_Gross_%20Carol.jpg?h=e5b4aae0&itok=-F3QTBkx)
A Taste of Camellias
Most of our indoor camellias have wrapped up their flowering for the year, but those that are still in bloom give a hint of the camellias planted in the outdoor gardens, and also hint at our behind-the-scenes breeding work with this group of plants.
![a person outdoor on a green grass trail overlooking a meadow](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2023-02/91D891CB-95C5-41E6-9CF6-1433AF89F3D9_1_105_c.jpeg?h=fa81b690&itok=dfcHUd6P)
Change and Adaptation, Designed
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 theme of change and adaptation.
![a terra cotta pot with a purple orchid set against a dark backdrop](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2023-01/453514_Dendrobium%20Guthbertsonii_Peignet_%20Yovenn%20_Longwood%20International%20Trainee_.jpg?h=7c426102&itok=2COI8vn6)
Every Orchid is an Individual
Since 1955 all orchids in our collection have been accessioned and their life status tracked in a system whose “record will be of information and great value for our program of public education,” as was reported to our Board of Trustees in October 1955.
![close up of the bark of a paperback maple tree](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-11/451554_Acer%20griseum%20-%20paperbark%20maple%20bark_Peignet_%20Yovenn%20_Longwood%20International%20Trainee_.jpg?itok=ixvOOlp9)
Paperbark Maple: A New Look at an Old Friend
Paperbark maple’s attributes alone make it worth promoting, but its conservation status has lent additional importance to working with it.
![image of a bonsai tree in a blue pot and gray rock in its roots](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-09/602571_Bonsai%20Donor%20Collection_Davis_%20Harold%20_Hank_%20_Longwood%20Volunteer%20Photographer_.jpg?itok=japvmDbh)
Unveiling Big Bonsai News
Our bonsai collection is about to grow by significant depth and breadth and, of course, tremendous beauty.
![a variety of orchids in pots on a lattice backdrop](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-09/600155_Orchid%20House_Hill_%20William%20_Bill_%20_Longwood%20Volunteer%20Photographer_.jpg?itok=NNyvnaom)
Orchids as Emblems of National Pride
In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 through October 15), which pays tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society, we share the stories of some of the orchids that serve as floral emblems in Hispanic countries, and the importance of those orchids as part of our collection and display here at Longwood.
![vegetable garden filled with corn, squash, and other plants at sunset](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-09/602862_Three%20Sisters%20Plot_Correia_%20Alex%20_PG%20Student_.jpg?h=d09aeaf0&itok=SvU9Ygln)
Telling Stories in Our Idea Garden
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.
![close up of a waterlily platter with a white lotus flower](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-08/523542_Waterlily%20Display_Davis_%20Harold%20_Hank_%20_Longwood%20Volunteer%20Photographer_.jpg?itok=jUOHyrCL)
Growing From Afar
Even though the Waterlily Court can’t be visited until its 2024 reopening, the aquatic plants for which this space is known—including our famed Victoria water-platters—are still growing and thriving while awaiting their newly refreshed home.
![a monarch butterfly resting on a pink milkweed plant in a meadow](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-08/150587_Meadow_Potterfield_%20Tom%20_Longwood%20Volunteer%20Photographer_.jpg?itok=pnWkGHph)
A Winged Window into Our Local Ecosystem
Through our new lepidopteran monitoring initiative, Longwood’s Land Stewardship and Ecology team is working with dedicated volunteers to understand which butterflies, moths, and skippers are frequenting our Meadow Garden, and what that says about not only the Meadow Garden, but the ecosystem of our greater landscape.
![small sprouts of lemongrass popping up through the soil](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-07/596359_Ornamental%20Kitchen%20Garden_Gross_%20Carol.jpg?itok=NPTSoAz8)
Visit the Tropics in Our Idea Garden
From fragrant dwarf cardamom to vibrant mandarinquats, a variety of tropical herbs and plants are thriving in our Idea Garden, all of which can be reliably grown and enjoyed by home gardeners in the mid-Atlantic region.
![large green grass lawn with big trees surrounding it](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-10/398879_Cow%20Lot.jpg?itok=zKs7kPp8)
Turf Care, Rooted in Data
Although we may be best known for our floral displays, turfgrass is an essential component of the overall health and appearance of our Gardens—and caring for our turfgrass is an ever-evolving science.
![close up image of a red Disa orchid](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-06/594211_Disa%20Longwood%20Renaissance%20Horizon%20_Sea%20Lord%20_%20Kewdior_Griffis_%20Greg.jpg?itok=MTC86l0f)
Disa, Redefined
Longwood is one of a small number of public gardens around the world who breed and display the Disa genus. We have recently met a major milestone that adds an entirely new dimension to our Disa history and our breeding program—and may increase the ease with which Disa can be grown at home.
![close up of small purple flowers with a bee flying near one bloom](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-06/593383_Edible%20Plants_Gross_%20Carol.jpg?h=f53b3a62&itok=c34HICFB)
Edible Plants that Feed Pollinators, Too
This week is National Pollinator Week, an annual event that celebrates pollinators, addresses the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations, and supports all we can do to protect them.
![indoor conservatory with large palm leaves and pink flowers lining the path](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-06/588608_Indoor%20display_Gercens_%20Karl.jpg?h=84effa4e&itok=VwrPdVUM)
Appreciating Asymmetry
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.
![pink and white rhododendron plants](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-05/513215_Rhododendron_Davis_%20Harold%20_Hank_%20_Longwood%20Volunteer%20Photographer_.jpg?h=b432bfd4&itok=Bjs_WF3R)
A New Take on an Old Favorite: Rhododendrons
Longwood has made continual efforts to strategically build a beautiful and diverse collection of rhododendrons—and the dozens of newly donated plants soon making their way to Longwood represents a new milestone in our rhododendron collection.
![view of a topiary garden with blue sky](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-05/469034_COVID-19%20Documentation_Ross_%20Matthew%20%282%29.jpg?h=02c886fd&itok=rM0DZBhZ)
A Labor of Love: The Topiary Garden
With 35 specimens and more than a dozen forms ranging from wedding cakes to spirals to birds, our Topiary Garden is much more than a collection of yews (Taxus)—it’s also a collection of stories told by those who have so expertly cared for it.
![image of a tree looking up at the sky next to the trunk](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/93261_liriodendron-tulipifera_l0338w_peirce_s-woods-2013_fellows_-steve-_longwood-volunteer-photographer_image.jpg?h=8cc2f318&itok=vrOxfq_X)
Trees as Connectors
The Songs of Trees is this year’s Community Read selection for Haskell’s poetic take on how human history, ecology, and well-being are intertwined with the lives of trees.
![A table of merchandise, including items in floral motifs and live plants](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/578934_spring-garden-shop-_gross_-carol-image.jpg?h=5c7eb606&itok=ZWWGAqRT)
Cultivating All We Are in The Garden Shop
On our one-year anniversary of The Garden Shop refresh, we reflect on a year of new people, new products, and new processes in the shop … and we invite you to experience all The Garden Shop has to offer.
![tall thin flower stem with multiple white orchid blooms in a field](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/567148_native-orchids-image.jpg?h=0b3f4158&itok=zcM7Sxat)
Science Behind the Beauty: Orchid Conservation at Longwood
Longwood developed its Orchid Conservation Program in 2015 to ensure that a variety of orchid species are saved for generations to come.
![orchids in multiple colors lining the walls inside a glasshouse](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/569102_orchid-house_davis_-harold-_hank_-_longwood-volunteer-photographer_image.jpg?h=e5a01c3f&itok=FQthZ38O)
Orchids: An International Floral Emblem
Let’s take a trip abroad and explore which orchids that locales from Guatemala to the Seychelles have chosen to recognize and celebrate in their currency, their culture, and more … and discover when those revered orchids are in bloom here at Longwood.