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Stewarding (and Learning) Our Land

Stewarding (and Learning) Our Land

At Longwood, how do we—Longwood’s Land Stewardship and Ecology team—work to address and advance these complex systems of study here at Longwood and beyond?

By Maya Sarkar, on April 6, 2022
Science Behind the Beauty: Orchid Conservation at Longwood
tall thin flower stem with multiple white orchid blooms in a field

Science Behind the Beauty: Orchid Conservation at Longwood

Longwood developed its Orchid Conservation Program in 2015 to ensure that a variety of orchid species are saved for generations to come.

By Peter Zale and Ashley Clayton, on March 30, 2022
Building Community in Our Community Read
Canopy Career Chronicles book cover propped on a stone wall with plants in the background

Building Community in Our Community Read

Each year dozens of organizations across our region join together to present programs around the topics covered in our Community Read books.

By Abbey Gau, on March 23, 2022
Orchids: An International Floral Emblem
orchids in multiple colors lining the walls inside a glasshouse

Orchids: An International Floral Emblem

Let’s take a trip abroad and explore which orchids that locales from Guatemala to the Seychelles have chosen to recognize and celebrate in their currency, their culture, and more … and discover when those revered orchids are in bloom here at Longwood.

By Emily Conn, on March 16, 2022
Community Read: A Conversation with Author David George Haskell
trees turning a green, yellow, and red shade

Community Read: A Conversation with Author David George Haskell

The Songs of Trees recounts Haskell’s travels around the world to visit the same 12 trees repeatedly, carefully observing and listening to what they might teach us about ourselves.
By Gillian Hayward, on March 9, 2022
Guided by Student Curiosity
two school aged children examine a flower bed in summer

Guided by Student Curiosity

We are excitedly getting ready to welcome back young learners into our Gardens with our spring educator-guided school group programs.
By Emily Gerber, on March 2, 2022
Navigating Our New Orchid House
a close up of a pink orchid with a yellow and red orchid in the background

Navigating Our New Orchid House

Our Orchid House has been completely restored in the same way our founder Pierre S. du Pont would have done it himself—with excellence.

By Greg Griffis, on February 23, 2022
Five Strangers, One Incredible Experience
a group of smiling Fellows pose for a selfie in front of the US capital building

Five Strangers, One Incredible Experience

Living and working with five mid-career professionals—as our Fellows cohort does—is challenging, rewarding, fun, supportive, frustrating, at times lonely, inspiring, and sometimes hard to put into words.

By Zach Borngraver and Katie Serock, on February 16, 2022
Planting the Seed
three standing and smiling for the camera while holding up seeds and plants

Planting the Seed

This project may lead to findings that could inform future orchid restoration plantings at Longwood, throughout Pennsylvania, and beyond … but also one that we hope could help inspire a new generation of conservationists.

By Peter Zale, on February 9, 2022
A Goodbye, A Beginning
a Copper Beech tree on a rainy day with dark clouds in the sky

A Goodbye, A Beginning

Here at Longwood, our trees are like family. They’re the reason Longwood exists—the backbone of our Gardens.

By Katie Mobley, on February 2, 2022
Music to Our Ears
sound equipment nestled between flowers with a view of stage and rows of seats

Music to Our Ears

Starting this month, live music returns to the splendor of our Conservatory—and we are honored to bring to you a fantastic lineup of artists.

By Tom Warner, on January 26, 2022
Unraveling a History Mystery
a black and white photo of a stone walkway with plants growing along the walls and roof

Unraveling a History Mystery

In August 2021, the Longwood Gardens Library received a sizable donation of archival material from the Kennett Library, documenting the lives and stories of the people of Kennett Square— foremost among them the famous author and diplomat Bayard Taylor.

By William Niner, on January 19, 2022
Using Sound Technology to Make Sound Decisions
a person crouched and tying equipment onto a tree that is in a cemetery

Using Sound Technology to Make Sound Decisions

In the last year, we have started to use a PiCUS Sonic Tomograph, a device that uses sound wave technology to advance tree care and the accuracy of tree risk assessments by allowing arborists to get a look at the inside of the tree when assessing its structural integrity.

By Tyler Altenburger, on January 12, 2022
Longwood’s Weeping Beeches: Their Origins and Significance
a Weeping Beech with a bright blue sky and fluffy white clouds in the background

Longwood’s Weeping Beeches: Their Origins and Significance

Longwood is the proud home of two specimens on view that represent a strikingly impressive form of Fagus sylvatica, and whose beautifully undulating lines are perhaps best appreciated during the winter months after their leaves have fallen.

By Kristina Aguilar, on January 5, 2022
Longwood Reimagined: Beauty in the Making
a heavy construction area with a start of a new building in the middle and surrounded by dirt mounds and trucks

Longwood Reimagined: Beauty in the Making

As our Gardens continue to take shape and as our cultural landscape evolves, we are delighted to share with you a few of the many facets of this incredibly detailed project.

By Katie Mobley, on December 22, 2021
A Place of Family
fireplace hearth with a large cascading wreath filled with ornaments, bows, and fabrics

A Place of Family

Even with all its grandeur, our Music Room scene still feels intimate, cozy, and welcoming … and that’s the exact sentiment we’ve set out to achieve in this spectacular fireside lodge setting.

By Jessica Whitehead, on December 15, 2021
The Beauty (and Possibilities) of Dried Flowers
a close up of a Christmas tree with dried flowers and green ornaments

The Beauty (and Possibilities) of Dried Flowers

Here at Longwood (and at home), arrangements made from dried flowers serve as spectacular options for the holiday (or any) season … and they help showcase and celebrate the beauty of plants long after their natural growing season.

By Michael Strengari, on December 8, 2021
The Art of Alpine
a pool of water with a fountain in the middle and icicles along the sides with large Christmas trees surrounding the water

The Art of Alpine

Our Exhibition Hall has been transformed into a true environment, meant to whisk you away to an entirely different world. How we created this world is a story in itself.

By Kevin Bielicki, on December 1, 2021
Fire and Ice, Made Delicious
a glass of alcohol with a set of hands lighting a lemon peel on fire

Fire and Ice, Made Delicious

We’re thrilled to share with you some delicious fire and ice-inspired recipes perfect for your own home entertaining (one of which is even featured on our 1906 holiday menu).

By Executive Chef Will Brown, on November 24, 2021
Celebrating 50 Years of Changing Lives
a group of people smiling and walking next to a glass greenhouse

Celebrating 50 Years of Changing Lives

Combining extensive hands-on gardening experience with classroom work, the two-year, tuition-free Professional Gardener Training Program fulfilled founder Pierre S. du Pont’s wish for a practical school of horticulture and floriculture at Longwood.

By Crystal Huff, on November 10, 2021