At Longwood, our growing knowledge of horticulture is constantly expanded on by our staff, students, and fellow horticulturists—and as this year’s Today’s Horticulture Symposium hosted by the Professional Horticulture Alumni Association showed, horticulture is a practice of resilience, of roots, and of relevancy.

Over the ten years of Community Read, our program goals haven’t changed; we want to inspire generations to read, think, and engage with authors and their writing … plus, the more than 200 events in the community that explore the books each year help keep the conversation going.

As we continue to immerse ourselves in the history of the cemetery and its place in southern Chester County past and present, we develop a deeper understanding of the mid-19th century context in which the cemetery and meeting house were founded, so that we can better share those stories.

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.

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.

At Phipps, the Fellows had the opportunity to learn about the principles of regenerative thinking during a workshop led by Phipps Chief Executive Officer Richard V. Piacentini and Senior Director of Communications Joe Reed.

Find out how some of our previous interns got their start in public horticulture and where their careers have gone since—and how their time at Longwood helped them get there.

Follow along as we share just a few of the many artistic elements—and the artists behind them—that light the way for this year’s fantastic outdoor display.

One of the many elements of botanical artistry on display during this year’s A Longwood Christmas greets you just as you enter the Conservatory—an 8-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide living tree swathed in 1,800 gorgeous hardy Sempervivum, or hens-and chicks.

We are excited to be highlighting a facet of Mr. du Pont’s vision: practical education, in the form of spectacular fresh-cut floral arrangements and intricate botanical art, all proudly displayed in our Conservatory for the duration of A Longwood Christmas.

Follow along as we track the process behind selecting Longwood ornaments for display, and where each spends most of its time alongside 66,999 of its closest friends.

Longwood proposed that Westphal design students create two couture gown-like sculptures that would be completely designed and constructed out of botanicals, and displayed in the Music Room during this year’s A Longwood Christmas.

This year, as we showcase botanical splendor at its finest with our horticulture artists using plants as their palette, I’m inspired to showcase the jewels of the garden with a selection of botanical-forward dishes perfect for any holiday gathering.

Through our Longwood @ The Creamery collaboration, not only are we able to connect with new learners and those in our community through fun, lighthearted events—but we’re also able to make an impact and offer public programming designed to serve the needs of our wonderful community.

Paperbark maple’s attributes alone make it worth promoting, but its conservation status has lent additional importance to working with it.

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.

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.

Our bonsai collection is about to grow by significant depth and breadth and, of course, tremendous beauty.

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.

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.