Conservatory District

The Ballroom will be closed all day Friday, September 19; reopening at 1:00 pm Saturday, September 20 for the Dahlia Show; and closing again at 6:00 pm on Sunday, September 21.
Aerial view of large conservatory complex with a glass ceiling

The Conservatory District— the jewel of Longwood Gardens—features a series of intimate, breathtaking rooms that harmonize the beauty of 19th-century classical architecture to horticultural displays both formal and contemporary.

About This District

Wander through wondrous spaces under acres of glass, taking in the sweeping views of lush foliage and a kaleidoscope of color. Witness the beauty of otherworldly plant species, some of which have been with us since the Conservatory’s 1921 debut. Allow yourself plenty of time to linger, explore, and marvel at the expertise involved in the creation of our dazzling displays.

 

a lush green walkway in the conservatory with hanging baskets and columns covered in green

Gardens in this District

  • Acacia Passage
    sun shines through glass windows into a long hallway with green plants, yellow flowers, and hanging baskets

    Acacia Passage

    From the pendulous branches of the Acacia leprosa, puffs of sunny yellow emerge in February and March—offering a very welcome burst of optimistic color and fragrance amidst winter’s muted tones.

  • Cascade Garden
    A winding path cuts through a glasshouse filled with bold tropical leaves, finely textured glaucous plants, and columns of stone and plantings.

    Cascade Garden

    Inspired by an equatorial coastal rainforest, elemental simplicity reigns in the sole North American garden design by esteemed 20th-century landscape architect, artist, and activist, Roberto Burle Marx (1904-1994). A profusion of plants, water, and stone come together to envelop the senses, immersing you in a verdant mosaic of lush splendor. 

  • East Conservatory
    Sun. streams through the glass ceiling of a conservatory on a pathway lined with green bushes and tall plans with a hanging lamp

    East Conservatory

    Experience an unparalleled sensory journey through lush plantings, soaring classical architecture, and tranquil water features, including waterfalls, pools, and fountains under a half-acre of glass.

  • East Conservatory Plaza
    Two people sit along levels of freshly cut grass in the summer with green tress behind

    East Conservatory Plaza

    A feat of artistic vision and expert engineering, five tiers of sweeping, grass-covered terraces emerge like steps from the land, providing a grand transition from the forest to the Conservatory.

  • Green Wall
    A luscious wall of green ferns and other plants lines a hallway of doors

    Green Wall

    When nature calls, don’t miss this fern-laden glen of lush, vertical vegetation planted along 4,000 square feet. At the end of the hallway, a circular reflecting pool of marble awaits your gaze.

  • Indoor Children’s Garden
    a small fountain in the middle with building structures and green trees surrounding it

    Indoor Children’s Garden

    Let your kids get lost in a lush jungle of draping vines, drooling dragons, and secret stairways. Take a breather on a nearby bench as they shake their sillies in this whimsical realm of discovery.

  • Historic Main Conservatory
    A stone walkway leads between two garden beds of red and green plants with a green hanging backset and curved window in the distance, all under a glass conservatory

    Historic Main Conservatory

    In this ever-changing indoor space of perpetual bloom and uncommon, elegant beauty, familiar specimens flourish alongside mature trees and hanging baskets of intricately grown flowers, while a sunken marble pool and lush green lawns beckon.

  • Orchid House
    Sun shines through glass and a metal trellis filled with orchids and green plants

    Orchid House

    Our new Orchid House is an open, gallery-like space with a new glass roof and restored interior and exterior concrete. Hundreds of orchids displayed in custom frame trellises and our restored bronze case showcase the beauty and diversity of our renowned orchid collection.

  • Silver Garden
    morning sun shines through glass windows into a conservatory room filled with desert plants along a stone pathway

    Silver Garden

    Designed by Isabelle Greene, a meandering pathway of slate snakes through rocky outcroppings of spiky, textural plants in otherworldly hues of platinum, cool green, and soft blue.

  • Bonsai Courtyard
    Stately bonsai trees are displayed outdoors atop dark brown wooden stands, with the pointed arches of a large glass conservatory in the background

    Bonsai Courtyard

    Contemplate the interconnectedness of art, nature, and perseverance as you wander this 12,500 square-foot garden featuring a ever-changing display of miniature trees. Selections of great rarity, ancient beauty, and vibrant seasonal interest are thoughtfully curated and displayed, inviting guests to slow down and take in the meticulous details. 

  • Waterlily Court
    Wide view of guests strolling an outdoor court of waterlily pools at sunset, surrounded by conservatory buildings.

    Waterlily Court

    On View Now
    Showcasing aquatic plants from around the world, including South American water-platters and tropical waterlilies, this space invites an otherworldly experience of visual splendor and tranquility as you explore our stunning Conservatories. 

  • West Conservatory
    Cypress and Bismarkia trees rise above low planting beds and a central runnel

    West Conservatory

    A realm of unimaginable beauty and tranquility awaits beneath a soaring crystalline structure of contemporary design. Seemingly afloat atop sleek pools of water, airy pathways meander through colorful gardens inspired by the sun-kissed, Mediterrean regions of the world. 

  • West Conservatory Plaza
    a glasshouse with a multi-peaked roof rises from a wide green lawn dotted with fallen autumn leaves

    West Conservatory Plaza

    A sweeping terrace offers picturesque views for which the Brandywine Valley is renowned. Meandering pathways lead guests to expansive vistas, including a stand of 19th century sycamores and rolling, open meadows, marrying the native landscape with contemporary architecture. 

Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience

Our legacy of innovation continues with the most ambitious expansion, reimagination, and preservation of our Conservatory and surrounding landscape in a century.

For more than 115 years, we have harmoniously blended art and science to create a horticulture experience of unparalleled splendor. With the realization of Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience—a sweeping reimagination of 17 acres of our Conservatory and grounds—we are honored to enhance, steward, and preserve one of the world’s most important, most beautiful collections of gardens and glasshouses.

Stunning new buildings, wondrous new indoor and outdoor gardens, surprising new guest experiences, and much more await your visit. We’ve expanded our grounds, connecting them from east to west in a beautiful, unified journey of lush, formal gardens to open meadows to winding paths to breathtaking Brandywine Valley vistas. We’ve preserved and enhanced our cherished spaces to better showcase and grow our outstanding collections. We’re reflecting our founder’s vision and embodying our mission to create a world apart accessible to all for the celebration and enjoyment of horticulture. We've entered our next chapter … with you.

District Highlights

Sun streams through a glass window into a long hallway with pink hanging baskets
A small metal fountain shaped like a lotus plant spouts water into the air in front of a large rectangular area covered in water and lined with pink flower baskets
A stone path winds through a lush room of colorful plants with a hanging light above
A large hall full of people looks on to a stage performance under hanging baskets of pink orchids at night in a conservatory
A green wall of plants line the pathway down a wide curving hallway
Thin purple flowers sprout up out of green under a glass conservatory
A spinning Chirstmas tree captured with a long-exposure making light trails in a circular motion
A path leads into a room of tropical green, yellow, and red plants in a glass conservatory

What’s in Bloom

  • Feather-like, vibrant pink inflorescence surrounded by a rosette of slender, grass-like green leaves.

    Pink Quill

    Wallisia cyanea

    Pink quill is a striking epiphytic (meaning it grows on other plants rather than in soil), bromeliad native to the rainforests of Ecuador. A member of the Bromeliaceae family, it is prized for its distinctive, flat, magenta pink, quill-shaped bracts that can last for months and often give rise to short-lived but vivid violet-blue flowers. Its slender, arching green leaves form a rosette that collects water in the wild, helping the plant absorb moisture and nutrients. Unlike many tropical plants, Wallisia cyanea adapts well to indoor conditions, thriving in bright, indirect light and moderate humidity. Its unique appearance and low-maintenance care make it a favorite among houseplant enthusiasts.

  • Firewheel-tree

    Stenocarpus sinuatus

    With flowers full of autumnal colors, the firewheel-tree blooms are a perfect reminder that autumn is on its way.  The individual florets are orange with yellow tips and are arranged circularly in each inflorescence, or flower cluster. It's an evergreen tree that can reach upwards of 100' tall in its native Australia. The leaves have an oak-like shape and lend an attractive appearance even when the tree isn't in flower. It's in the protea family and is commonly used as an ornamental tree in mild climates.

  • Delicate slipper-shaped bright azure-blue petals with prominent violet-blue veins that create a striking contrast across the flower.

    Cape-primrose

    Streptocarpus Ladyslippers Azure

  • Ornamental Pepper

    Capsicum annuum ′Sangria′

    Capsicum 'Sangria' is an ornamental pepper variety celebrated for its showstopping and colorful display of fruit. Unlike culinary peppers, ‘Sangria’ is grown primarily for its aesthetic appeal rather than flavor or heat. The plant produces an abundance of small, upright dark green peppers that develop into vibrant purple then bright red and orange, often all visible on the plant at once. Compact and bushy, it grows about 12 to 18 inches tall, making it ideal for containers, borders, and for late season color. The peppers are considered child-safe due to their mild flavor and and low heat level. The original species, Capsicum annum, is native to southern North America, including Mexico and the Caribbean and thrives in full sun and well-drained soil.  You can view a variety of Capsicum cultivars on display in the Conservatory, Flower Garden Walk, and in the Idea Garden!  

  • Hot pink petals surrounding yellow anthers stand out within the trailing stems with succulent variegated leaves.

    Livingstone Daisy

    Mesembryanthemum cordifolium 'Mesbicla' (Mezoo Trailing Red™)

  • Chenille-plant

    Acalypha hispida

    Chenille plant is a tropical shrub native to the South Pacific, particularly New Guinea and the Malay Archipelago. Belonging to the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), it is valued for its striking, fuzzy red flower spikes that resemble chenille yarn, often reaching up to 18 inches in length. These vibrant blooms, which can appear year-round in warm climates, make it a favorite ornamental plant in gardens and containers. Acalypha hispida thrives in humid environments with full sun to partial shade and is especially attractive to pollinators like butterflies and bees. While beautiful, all parts of the plant are toxic if ingested, so caution is advised around pets and children.

  • Orange and yellow flower spike coming up through the center of a green rosette of leaves.

    Aechmea

    Aechmea ′Big Ben′
  • Colorful, variegated leaves in shades of pink, white, green, and purple, with unique purple stripes and matching purple undersides.

    Small-leaf Spiderwort

     Tradescantia fluminensis 'Nanouk' 
  • Large, arrow-shaped, dark green leaves with speckled and splashed patterns of creamy white variegation, resembling a starry night!

    Swiss Cheese Plant

    Monstera deliciosa 'Thai Constellation'
  • Vibrant yellow "dancing lady" orchid with a large lower lip and contrasting red center.

    Orchid

    x Oncidesa Aloha Iwanaga 'Wedding Lei'

From Our Blog

See more on our blog
New Homes for Old Friends
inside of a greenhouse filled with tropical green plants

New Homes for Old Friends

By Katie Mobley, on July 7, 2021
Specimens of Beauty
a zoomed in photograph of a vibrant purple orchid bloom

Specimens of Beauty

By Greg Griffis, on March 10, 2021
Reimagination Realized

Reimagination Realized

By Paul B. Redman, on February 18, 2021
The Beauty of Height
a hanging basket of yellow blooms suspended above a sunny hallway filled with greenery

The Beauty of Height

By Jim Sutton, Display Designer, on February 3, 2021
How We Make Our Living Succulent Wreaths

How We Make Our Living Succulent Wreaths

By Kat McCullough, on December 30, 2020