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![a plot of plant harvest](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/harvest-image.jpg?itok=7DtlNgbI)
Growing for Good
This growing season, Longwood joined the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in their new program, Harvest 2020. An initiative designed to help address the 11 percent of households in the Greater Philadelphia region that are food insecure and unable to access healthy, fresh food on a daily basis.
![a bronze statue of two goats surrounded by greenery and trees](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/goats-image.jpg?h=667ab815&itok=2nRPSbB8)
The Art of Heart
We are so pleased to welcome a new addition to our Idea Garden—an intricately detailed, beautifully realistic life-sized bronze sculpture by celebrated Brandywine Valley artist André Harvey (1941–2018).
![yellow, pink, green, and red fall foliage overlooks a small lake](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/fall-image.jpg?h=9e165b81&itok=OWO17D1e)
Fall is for Foliage
Determining peak timing is not as easy as one may think … when it comes down to it, the timing depends on the weather leading up to the fall months and, as we all know, the weather can be unpredictable.
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Full Steam Ahead
Each fall, a multi-departmental team made up of members of our Horticulture, Facilities, and Guest Services departments together achieve the not-so-small-feat of creating this multi-level world in miniature.
![a large field with tall, golden wild grasses and rolling hills in the background](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/482551_meadow-garden_image.jpg?itok=WF2uVyXJ)
A Meadow is a Moment in Time
A meadow is a moment in time, like the shape of a cloud or cherry blossoms in the spring. A meadow is ephemeral.
![chenille plant's pink cascading flower clusters](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/chenile-image.jpg?itok=M4ZTlhbx)
A Chenille Plant Journey
Chenille plant is native to tropical Papua New Guinea, and according to our plant records it has been grown at Longwood since at least 1957.
![a large hanging fern basket suspends from the ceiling of a greenhouse](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/fern-image.jpg?h=06545195&itok=cGMwwAFW)
A Very Lucky Rabbit’s-Foot
This hard-to-miss green giant hangs in the center of the Tropical Terrace and measures a sprawling 9.5 feet in diameter.
![a pathway lined with lush summer grasses](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/combination-image.jpg?h=1cb6c2ad&itok=I9_rJzkv)
Our New Combination Garden
We have transformed part of the Idea Garden into our new Combination Garden, an intimate and exuberant mix of woody, herbaceous, and seasonal plants, all layered into one dynamic space just next to our Main Fountain Garden.
![Patio surrounded by flower beds and filled with container plantings with mostly green textured plants and some small purple blooms](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/studio-image.jpg?h=804078a2&itok=HA4a8vXl)
Lessons from the Studio Garden
This morning, while tending a Pelargonium in the Studio Garden and looking around the entire space, I was reminded of the basic human need for nurturing something like plants … and the simple pleasure that comes with it.
![A box of victoria seeds inside a cardboard box with packing peanuts](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-03/454671_Victoria%20Seed%20Packing%20and%20Shipping_Gross_%20Carol.jpg?h=04704bb3&itok=B9cV7FDh)
Where in the World is Victoria?
Our most far-reaching educational experiences start with a seed sent to gardens around the world … resulting in not only the sharing of seed that is not readily available commercially, but allowing for even more public garden visitors worldwide to experience the beauty of Victoria.
![landscape of knoll trees with a bench in spring](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/knoll-image.jpg?itok=ZAeq8uhb)
Glorious Groves and Glades: Oak and Conifer Knoll
Towering, century-old trees, winding pathways, and hidden benches await guests any time of year in Oak and Conifer Knoll. It is an all-season destination with a rich history and serene beauty.
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The Scent-sational Story of Sprout
Our Conservatory’s Tropical Terrace is home to one of the rare wonders of the botanical world … and this rock star plant has just completed the performance of a lifetime.
![garden path on a misty day](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/theatre-image_0.jpg?itok=h3eBHaIO)
The Drama and Appeal of Our Theatre Garden
Designed by noted landscape architect Thomas Church, the Theatre Garden features drought-tolerant plants that can survive tough conditions … and gives a textural, star-studded performance each year during the summer’s heat and bright sunlight.
![plants in black containers on a bed of soil](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-04/467319-COVID-19-Shutdown-Ross-Matthew.jpg?itok=t-FoDLpg)
Our Evolving Rose Garden
When you return to visit us again, we hope you’ll make the Rose Garden one of your first stops … there is something new to see!
![](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/pbr-image.jpg?itok=JaRKUnVY)
Together Again
It is with immeasurable gratitude that we can begin welcoming our Members, first, on a limited non-public basis, back to our outdoor gardens starting June 18.
![close up image of a carnivorous plant](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/carnivorous-image.jpg?itok=hOe-_F7N)
Hungry for History: Our Carnivorous Collection
With their visual appeal and botanical interest, it is little wonder that carnivorous plants have long had a place on display in our Gardens.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/magnolia-image.jpg?itok=hBS1uwK4)
Farewell to an Iconic Tree
This magnificent tree, thought to be nearly 200 years old, was the first tree at Longwood to be designated a state champion tree, meaning it was deemed the largest of its kind of Pennsylvania—and then went on to be deemed the largest in the nation.
![oval outdoor fountain without water](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/facilities-image.jpg?h=6a8670e5&itok=MVpIo4T5)
The Glue that Binds Us
As long-stemmed flowers require staking in order to thrive, Longwood has long depended on the stability of the complex system of our 210 buildings and structures, as well as our infrastructure, that together make up our Gardens—and without which our plants would not be able to grow.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/covid-image.jpg?itok=cup6afWY)
Preparing for a Future Flourish
We can draw an interesting parallel between the dormancy of a plant and the temporary closure Longwood Gardens is experiencing right now … as well the necessary pause our region, our nation, and the entire world is now taking.
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Giving Our Azalea Bonsai a New Home
I’m excited to share that our azalea bonsai has reawakened, and in early March, just after shaking off the last yawns of its dormancy period, has found itself in a new home, thanks to the next step of the bonsai training process: repotting.