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The Mystery of Longwood’s Iris Garden
Very little trace of this iris garden survives today (we don’t even know where it was located!), and only by delving deep into the archives are we able to piece together the story of this long-vanished garden.
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Create Your Own Healing Garden
Gardens not only provide psychological, emotional, and spiritual benefits, but exploring or caring for a garden also reaps the physical benefits of exercise, which in turn can elevate mood.
![multiple lab tubes with green plants germinating](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/research-image.jpg?h=31b73b8a&itok=tOLn9qU-)
Resilience, Down to a Science
Part of the greater Horticulture department, the Research and Conservation team is vital to the growth of Longwood and the health of horticulture as a whole.
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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.
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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.
![row of green leafy vegetables planted in mulch](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-03/414448_Herb_and_Vegetable%20Garden_Davis_Harold%20_Hank_%20_Longwood_Volunteer_Photographer.jpg?h=cf6b2c71&itok=vUrVnMn2)
Getting Started with Vegetable Gardening
With more time at home this spring, there has never been a better time to start that home vegetable garden you’ve always wanted.
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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.
![a cluster of wild orchids covering the ground in a forest](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/orchid-image.jpg?h=97745365&itok=Axm8nUHm)
The Power of Local Conservation
At Longwood, we have developed an orchid conservation program that addresses the science, research, and curation of locally, nationally, and globally rare species.
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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.
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How to Start a Cut Flower Garden at Home
By creating a cut flower garden at home you can have the luxury of creating bouquets to take inside … and to enjoy them even when you’re not strolling through the garden.
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Calculating Beauty: Our Main Fountain Garden Lindens
Our trees—including the 168 linden trees in our Main Fountain Garden’s south, east, and west allées —are among the most exceptional parts of Longwood’s past, present, and future.
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A Beautiful Distraction
After patients expressed a desire to view local scenes during treatment, ChristianaCare hired NAPCO Video of Philadelphia to capture footage at Longwood Gardens to show to patients via VR while receiving chemotherapy.
![Painting of large hollow red plants with pitcher-like openings on a green hillside with misty hills in the background](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/weird-plant-image.jpg?itok=Ussruo3R)
A Community Read Conversation with Chris Thorogood
Chris Thorogood invites you to engage with plants that have long captured his imagination, inspired his art, and shaped his career.
![cover of book, "Semiosis" by Sue Burke perched in front of plants](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/cr-image_0.jpg?h=38535ecd&itok=8JsAhn9T)
A Community Read Conversation with Sue Burke
Now in its seventh year, a rousing discussion has always been a defining feature of our Community Read. But this year marks a few firsts, including our first science fiction selection by debut novelist Sue Burke.
![A delicate white bud dangles from a small, spring green flower stem on a field of pine needles](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/winter-blog-image.jpg?h=f6e9ddeb&itok=WWnMf4Yi)
The Clear Beauty of the Late Winter Landscape
Wintertime allows the clear details of the garden to come forward and highlights the harmony that a garden builds with its surrounding landscape.
![a field of brown winter grasses with a thick layer of fog in the background](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/meadow-image_0.jpg?h=6b8f4031&itok=0jAhVG70)
The Winter Meadow Garden: Full of Life
In the Meadow Garden this time of year, life is all around when you look for its clues—and careful observation yields beautiful results.
![a person sweeping the floor inside of an indoor garden](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/blog_post_images/child-garden-image.jpg?h=1c0963d9&itok=nexw8zhi)
Starting Fresh: Our Indoor Children’s Garden
The process of replanting, replacing the soil, and refreshing the Indoor Children’s Garden involves many staff from our Horticulture and Facilities departments. Our plumbers, electricians, masons, and painters work tirelessly to make sure all is in perfect, and beautiful, working order.
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Lights, Camera, Learning
For more than five years, Longwood Gardens has offered fun, interactive, free virtual programming to public and private schools around the world via our Virtual Field Trip program, improving science knowledge and introducing 10,000 students per year to the exciting possibilities of a career in horticulture.
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Indoor Plants for Every Home
It doesn’t matter if you live in an apartment, cottage, or even a yurt … there’s an indoor plant that can easily match your lifestyle.