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![a hand sprinkling a container onto a large green leaf](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-09/601012_Beneficial%20Insects%20_Gross_%20Carol.jpg?itok=awGs3dpy)
The Beauty of Beneficial Bugs
For many, seeing insects in a garden may lead to initial alarm and raise questions about what harm those insects could inflict on the plants. Not all insects, however, are bad and here at Longwood, we regularly release beneficial insects in certain parts of our Gardens.
![steel beams in the shape of arches forming a conservatory](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-10/600375_Garden%20Highlights_Ward_%20Candie%20_Longwood%20Volunteer%20Photographer_.jpg?h=e77b23aa&itok=zQ16QYDZ)
Longwood Reimagined: The Project Continues
In recent months, we’ve reached several notable milestones as our garden expansion continues to take shape and as our cultural landscape evolves … and now is a wonderful time to share with you some of that progress.
![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.
![floral arrangement in a brown vase with small bamboo rods and yellow and orange flowers hanging at the top of the rods](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-09/Cres%20Motzi%20Fan%20Design%2008082022.jpg?itok=s5Rx2R8K)
A Floral Design Journey
Floral desing became a journey that meandered through time and brought me to unexpected and wonderful places, including my time at Longwood working toward my Certificate of Merit in Floral Design.
![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.
![oil painting of two people sitting in a garden with a gold placque that reads Longwood PA 1936](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-08/544206_Portrait%20of%20Pierre%20and%20Alice%20du%20Pont%20-%20detail.jpg?itok=tklj_d4Y)
Alice du Pont's Support of Pennsylvania's Unique History
Alice du Pont played a very important role in the 1926 acquisition of one of the Philadelphia Museum of Art's well-known period rooms—which made quite a stir upon its opening—and can still be viewed today.
![group of six people standing and facing the camera among a desert garden](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-08/599914_2022_2023%20Fellows%20Cohort_Alejandro_%20Carlos.jpg?itok=FHWDG_ob)
Here to Change the World
With fascinating backgrounds and diverse expertise in aquatic plant care to landscape architecture to outreach and education, we’re thrilled to welcome our newest Fellows to our Gardens … and we can’t wait to see how they better the field of public horticulture.
![pastry sitting on a plate with whipped cream and blackberries on top](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-08/599281_1906%20Recipes_Gross_%20Carol.jpg?h=4126ca17&itok=Awiy4TM9)
A Summertime Tart Close to My Heart
Even though summertime is quickly coming to a close, there’s still plenty of time to savor the freshness of the season.
![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.
![dozens of round yellow cacti on the ground](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-07/Picture18.jpg?h=16218c0d&itok=pKlgKiVz)
Fellows in the Field
Our Fellows reflect on their time spent at their individual field placement sites across the country, their lessons learned, and memories made along the way.
![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.
![nighttime field of small orb lights](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-06/593139_Bruce%20Munro%20Light%20Test_Davis_%20Harold%20_Hank_%20_Longwood%20Volunteer%20Photographer_%20%281%29.jpg?h=2568f1ad&itok=ro1Bm_l1)
Shedding Light on Light
![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.
![sepia tone image of an old stone house](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_masonry_sm/public/2022-05/97752_Cox%20House.jpg?itok=I8g8gDuE)
Another Branch of the Longwood Story
Very close to Route 1, just south of the entrance to Longwood Gardens, stands a 19th century farmhouse that silently bears witness to an illustrious history ultimately connected to today’s Longwood Gardens.
![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.