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Botanical Beauty, Down to a Fine Art
A person in an art studio hunched over painting flowers on a large-scale white board.

Botanical Beauty, Down to a Fine Art

With this year’s A Longwood Christmas season, we have had so much fun not only celebrating all things retro—but also sharing the immense creativity and talents of the many, many makers behind this spectacular display.

By Katie Testa, on January 3, 2024
A Christmas of Community
A large ballroom filled with decorated Christmas trees.

A Christmas of Community

This year’s A Longwood Christmas display is bursting with festive trees, throwback toys, a vintage Christmas street scene, and much more … including seven trees in our Ballroom dressed in beautiful ornaments crafted by children from seven local youth-serving organizations.

By Katie Testa, on December 20, 2023
Beautiful Art, Beautiful Impact
Five blown glass pieces resting on a table part of A Longwood Christmas.

Beautiful Art, Beautiful Impact

A party wouldn’t be complete without fabulous glassware—and in the Music Room we’re proudly showcasing fantastic glass trees, candy dishes, and more crafted by two local nonprofit organizations—GoggleWorks Center for the Arts (Reading, PA) and Burning Branch Studio (Kirkwood, PA).

By Katie Mobley, on December 13, 2023
A Very Handmade Holiday
A birdhouse made from lego blocks hanging on an outdoor evergreen tree.

A Very Handmade Holiday

From living wreaths, to floral chandeliers, to creative ornaments, we’ve had so much fun rolling up our sleeves and hand-creating for the season.

By Katie Mobley and Katie Testa, on December 6, 2023
A Restoration for the Ages
A vintage red pick up truck holding several evergreen trees in the bed.

A Restoration for the Ages

Originally intended to be used as a farm truck on a private farm in Port Deposit, Maryland, this 1969 International Loadstar 1800 stake body dump truck sat unused for 20 years on the farm before it made its way to our Gardens—and into our hearts.

By Gregg Ehrhardt and Katie Mobley, on November 29, 2023
A Delicious Blast from the Past: Retro Holiday Recipes
Four round pastries displayed on a wooden board.

A Delicious Blast from the Past: Retro Holiday Recipes

Just like our A Longwood Christmas display it’s the small details (and the deliciously big impact!) that make these retro recipes shine. What’s more, they’re perfect for your holiday table.

By Executive Chef Will Brown, on November 22, 2023
Longwood Christmas Past
The conservatory at Longwood Garden with planted poinsettias around the garden beds.

Longwood Christmas Past

Follow along as we take a look at some notable A Longwood Christmas indoor and Conservatory displays throughout the decades, from new features to display milestones … and leading up to this year’s spectacular display.

By Colvin Randall, on November 15, 2023
Diverse Habitats, Diverse Wildlife
A brown and white hummingbird in air approaching a pink flower.

Diverse Habitats, Diverse Wildlife

At Longwood Gardens, we manage our natural areas to both promote native species diversity across the landscape and to help our guests create memorable and inspiring experiences discovering the dynamic beauty of our native habitats.

By Katie Testa, Tabitha Petri, and Lea Johnson, Ph.D., on November 1, 2023
Longwood Reimagined: New Moments, New Excitement
A scene at Longwood Gardens with a love temple in the foreground and a construction site in the background.

Longwood Reimagined: New Moments, New Excitement

As our most ambitious expansion, reimagination, and preservation of our Conservatory and surrounding landscape in a century continues to take shape, we’re so pleased to share with you the latest moments and milestones along the way.

By Katie Mobley, on October 25, 2023
A Triumphant Return
The arms of a person working with chrysanthemum blooms.

A Triumphant Return

This year’s Thousand Bloom of Chrysanthemum × morifolium ‘Susono-no-Hikari’ started its journey as a vegetative cutting 18 months ago—and today is not only a sight to behold, but a culminating example of the unchanging beauty and art of people and plants working together.

By Kate Santos, Ph.D., on October 18, 2023
A Part of Something Bigger: Meet Our 2023-24 Fellows
A group of five people posed in front of a green wall smiling at the camera.

A Part of Something Bigger: Meet Our 2023-24 Fellows

We’re thrilled to have recently welcomed the five outstanding individuals that make up our 2023–24 Fellows cohort.

By Katie Testa, on October 11, 2023
Story and Beauty: Sashiko and Luminaria
A lawn with dozens of luminaries on the ground.

Story and Beauty: Sashiko and Luminaria

On October 5, 6, and 7, we are thrilled to share a Luminaria Nights display inspired by the artform of sashiko—a traditional hand-stitching practice developed in Japan

By Katie Mobley, on October 3, 2023
From Fallen Trees, An Uplifting Effort
A person in a safety vest approaching a large fallen tree.

From Fallen Trees, An Uplifting Effort

It’s a question that’s been posed for years: if a tree falls in a forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

By Tyler Altenburger and Kate Santos, Ph.D., on September 27, 2023
A Tiny Garden: Planted by Longwood
Several planted succlents in gray stone pots.

A Tiny Garden: Planted by Longwood

The beautiful terrariums, containers, centerpieces, cloches, and more living works of art, available for purchase in The Shop, are created by our talented Planted by Longwood team.

By Katie Testa, on September 20, 2023
The Transformative Power of Design
A person in an emerald shirt sitting on a gray sofa creating a floral arrangement.

The Transformative Power of Design

As the president and chief executive officer of Black Girl Florists and the owner of One Soul Events (Atlanta, GA), and in the spirit of Black Girl Florists’ mission, we are thrilled about our upcoming collaboration with Longwood.

By Valerie Crisostomo, on August 30, 2023
Reaching for New Heights in Rare Species Conservation
Tall green grass with a single purple flower in the center of the image.

Reaching for New Heights in Rare Species Conservation

Among our many conservation efforts is our recent work in propagating and restoring hundreds of one of the rarest plants in Pennsylvania, the Appalachian Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium vanbruntiae).

By Peter Zale and Katie Testa, on August 16, 2023
What Larry Taught Me: Photographing Longwood
A landscape at Longwood Gardens featuring tall trees and rhododenrons in bloom.

What Larry Taught Me: Photographing Longwood

I was asked to escort photographer Larry Lederman around the Gardens while he took photos for a book about the du Pont family gardens of the Brandywine Valley. At the time, I didn’t know that working with Larry would shape the next 14 months of my life and change how I view Longwood. 

By Jackie Miller, on August 9, 2023
A Trip to Italy: A Trip of a Lifetime
Four people at the top of an outdoor stone staircase walking away from the camera.

A Trip to Italy: A Trip of a Lifetime

Along with our Professional Horticulture Program classmates, we recently completed one of the most exciting parts of our two-year program—our opportunity to experience horticulture in another country through our study abroad trip.

By Faith Redcay, Ben Helde, and Elizabeth Ciskanik, on August 2, 2023
Handmade and Heartfelt Decoratives in The Garden Shop
Large handmade paper flowers in yellow and white hanging in a gift shop.

Handmade and Heartfelt Decoratives in The Garden Shop

Staff and volunteers often put months of collection, foraging, work, and crafting into each handmade decorative you see in the Shop—and we’re so proud to share with you the story behind them.

By Katie Testa, on July 26, 2023
Change and Adaptation, Realized
A group of people standing inside an outdoor geometric sculpture in a garden bed.

Change and Adaptation, Realized

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 scheme of change and adaptation.

By Kyle Post, Allison Edmonds, and Kinga Obartuch, on July 19, 2023