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.

Now is the time to plant those bulbs—just as the Longwood intern class did in late October—in preparation for next year’s spring display.

This imaginative display serves as the largest and oldest of its kind in North America, and it’s a spectacular time of year in which we stretch our horticultural limits to put on a colorful show for our guests.

As part of the Fellows Program, our cohort has had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the culture of organizations throughout the region.

On October 14, 15, and 16, we are honored to share a very special Luminaria Nights display inspired by the artform of sashiko—a traditional hand-stitching practice developed in Japan.

The Webb Farmhouse’s history spans a long time before Longwood Gardens existed, and the evolution of the land helps tell its story.

As the docent intern at Longwood, I focus on how we interpret and share such details, so I am constantly thinking about the stories we tell in our garden, as well as the design choices, gardening techniques, and plant selections we employ to tell them.

While I’ve often heard gardeners jokingly remark that botanists like to change names just to keep them guessing, botanical name changes happen often and represent advances in science and our understanding of the relationships in the plant world.

We thought we’d challenge ourselves to pick just a few of our featured Wine & Jazz wines, share their stories, and pair them with some great recipes you can make from home to lead us all into fall on a delicious note.

It’s been nearly 18 months since we last welcomed students into the Gardens as part of our in-person Continuing Education programming … but all of that changes this October.

It’s been more than two years since we embarked on the process of training an azalea standard into a bonsai. It’s now time to share what our old friend has been up to in the last year.

In my first few weeks here at Longwood, I found that my linguistics background would definitely come in handy … especially when I made an orchid discovery that would bring my past studies and my current plant records work full circle.

As the gardener responsible for the Waterlily Display, I can say firsthand just how much we delight in sharing the beauty and the display possibilities of our aquatics collection with our guests.

Our Fellows Program brings talented professionals to Longwood to live and study alongside one another … all while learning more about themselves and the further contributions they can make.

Whether we’re transplanting our plant collections or moving our precious, one-of-kind library and archives (right down to our oldest book, dated 1635), we must practice a high level of care along the way.

While sun gardens are places in which every flower color under the sun can be showcased, shade gardens are more subtle and elegant … and definitely a way to enjoy your outdoor space while taking refuge from the midsummer heat.

We are the steward of one of the most important collections of gardens and glasshouses, and one perfect example of that commitment lies in the 55 plants we’ve moved from their previous West Conservatory locations to new permanent homes in our Main and East Conservatory display spaces.

Discover hidden secrets in the Main Fountain Garden, identify trees in Peirce’s Woods, search for wildlife in our Meadow Garden, and even take a meditative moment with garden-inspired yoga poses.