With its name composed of two Japanese characters that mean “grass” and “thing”, the literal translation of kusamono—a Japanese botanical art of small, potted grasses traditionally displayed next to bonsai as seasonal accent plants—may suggest that this Japanese botanical art is unassuming or falls secondary to its bonsai counterpart.

Our Fellows reflect on lessons learned and memories made during their field placements in London, Singapore, Niagara Falls, Cleveland, and Edinburgh.

As the head judge for the upcoming 2023 Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition, I'm very much looking forward to being at Longwood Gardens—it is such a beautiful, iconic location and the competition will be a gathering of some brilliant musicians.

The way in which a tree grows is often determined by their environment, and as a bonsai artist, I look to honor that environment, and the way in which that tree would grow in nature, when determining how to shape and style a bonsai.

While we often think of the landscapes around our homes as self-contained, they’re actually part of a broader landscape mosaic —and each home landscape can make a profound impact on that mosaic and the variety of wildlife (and people!) that rely on it.

We recently marked a major horticultural moment in our Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience project—28 major moments, to be exact.

The practice of land stewardship constantly raises new questions—how best to approach a new problem; what methods work best—that can be answered using the tools of ecological science.

The removal, restoration, and reinstallation of these finely detailed—and heavy—sculptures required a delicate, almost surgical approach and in the process, we delved into their history and purpose at Longwood.

The upcoming May 12 Curtis Symphony Orchestra performance held here in our Gardens—marks the first time the full Curtis Symphony Orchestra will perform at Longwood, and the only time guests can experience the orchestra in the region before they embark on their Curtis On Tour West Coast engagements.

Through April, classic spring plants such as hydrangeas, azaleas, and fuchsias bloom indoors in new and exciting varieties.

We are thrilled to soon be welcoming 10 of the brightest young organists from around the globe for our 2023 Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition.

Leaving home for the first time to travel to a different part of the world, to come to Longwood as part of the International Internship & Training Program, was a hard choice for me, but the right choice for my career, and a way in which I could experience a culture of kindness and inclusion.

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.

We are proud to represent our Professional Horticulture Program classmates in leading the planning and preparation for the class of 2023 trip to Italy, taking place in late May.

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.