House & Theater District

Aerial view of house and theater gardens filled with trees, a small fountain garden, and brick house

The story of Longwood Gardens begins here.

In 1906, Pierre S. du Pont purchased a 202-acre farm and former Quaker homestead in order to save a collection of historic trees, unaware at the time that his purchase would grow to become one of the greatest display gardens in the world. Developed with the specific purpose of display, the House & Theatre Gardens District is an excellent representation of how Pierre’s passion for horticulture, design, and preservation laid the groundwork for an unparalleled garden experience, to be enjoyed by guests for many years to come. Transport yourself in the early days of Longwood, taking in views that Pierre and his family enjoyed more than a century ago, including Peirce’s Park and Peirce’s Woods.

About This District

Pierre intended to restore his newly acquired land as a space for entertaining friends—but the lavish gardens and dazzling fountains would come later. His first projects involved tending to the trees for which he’d purchased the property and restoring Peirce’s Park, a historic arboretum planted a hundred years earlier by Quaker farmers Joshua and Samuel Peirce, to its former glory. In the process, his vision for Longwood’s future took shape in a series of “firsts.” The 600-foot flower garden (what is now Flower Garden Walk), punctuated with a simple round fountain (another first!), was so beautiful the following spring that Pierre decided to host his first Longwood garden party—a tradition that would continue until 1940.

 

I have recently experienced what I would formerly have diagnosed as an attack of insanity; that is, I have purchased a small farm.
- Pierre S. du Pont

 

In 1913, following an inspiring trip to the Villa Gori in Siena, Italy, with his future wife, Alice, Pierre began construction on what would become the Open Air Theatre, complete with illuminated fountains that flanked the stage. When the fountains debuted at a 1914 garden party, the guests were delighted—as were Pierre and Alice. 

Pierre found the winters in the Brandywine Valley to be dreary, so in 1914 he began construction of his first conservatory as part of an L-shaped extension to the farmhouse. Planted with exotic tropical foliage and a marble fountain, it became Longwood’s first winter garden housed under glass. 

Gardens in this District

  • Flower Garden Walk & Compartment Gardens
    Sun shines on a circular fountain with a brick pathway in the background leading through green garden beds

    Flower Garden Walk & Compartment Gardens

    In Pierre S. du Pont’s very first garden at Longwood, 600 feet of dazzling hues of orchestrated botanical forms will take your breath away in one of our most popular (and photographed!) gardens.

  • Open Air Theatre & Theatre Garden
    partially overhead view of fountain jets shooting up from a sea green stage, against a backdrop of tall green trees

    Open Air Theatre & Theatre Garden

    Framed by a canopy of towering trees and clipped arborvitae, this Italian-style, outdoor garden theater has come alive with countless performances of every kind since its debut in 1914, and features fountain performances throughout the day.

  • Peirce-du Pont House
    A hanging basket is seen in the distance in a small house conservatory with green plants, metal railings, and a lamppost

    Peirce-du Pont House

    Step back in time for a glimpse into the lives of the du Ponts and the Peirce family at one of the oldest buildings at Longwood. Not to be missed: a Monstera deliciosa vine that’s been there since the mid-1900s.

  • Peirce’s Park
    sun shines through a line of trees on to a wooden bench sitting on path made of wood chips

    Peirce’s Park

    Home to two notable allées of stately and spectacular trees, this area is where Longwood’s story begins. Enjoy woodland wildflowers and soaring tree specimens, many of which are more than 100 years old.

  • Peirce’s Woods
    A stone gazebo sits beside a small lake tucked into a forest of bright green trees

    Peirce’s Woods

    This award-winning woodland garden, designed by W.Gary Smith, showcases mighty oaks, ashes, maples, and tulip-trees that tower over 200 species of native plants and cultivars, offering seasonal interest from spring through fall.

What’s in Bloom

  • Yellow, multi-petal flower with divided green leaves.

    Hybrid Peony

    Paeonia ′Garden Treasure′

    'Garden Treasure' is one of the hybrid peony varieties that can be seen in bloom now in the Peony Garden.  Sometimes called intersectional or Itoh peonies, these beautiful plants are hybrid crosses between herbaceous and tree peonies. They have the leaf shape of tree peonies, but die back to the ground each winter like a herbaceous peony.  The long lasting blossoms are lightly fragrant and come in some unique colors, like yellow, not seen in typical herbaceous peonies.

  • Catawba Hybrid Rhododendron

    Rhododendron ′Roseum Elegans′
  • Spherical purple bloom.

    Ornamental Onion

    Allium hollandicum ′Purple Sensation′
  • Light yellow slipper shaped flowers

    Kentucky Lady's Slipper

    Cypripedium kentuckiense

    This globally rare native, terrestrial orchid species has the largest flower in the genus Cypripedium.  These orchids were grown from seed and took five years to bloom.  In the wild, mycorrhizae are critical to the survival of orchids.  The plants parasitize the fungi and use them as a food source both while the seedlings are developing and as adult plants.     

  • Single flower form, deep rose-pink petals with a bright yellow center.

    Herbaceous Peony

    Paeonia lactiflora 'Cheese Country' 

    Herbaceous peonies are long-lived perennial plants that begin to bloom in mid to late May and add beautiful colors and fragrance to sunny garden borders. Peonies are an old-fashioned garden favorite, cherished for their lush blooms that come in a range of color combinations and flower forms, from simple singles to full doubles. 'Cheese Country' is a Japanese single flower form. Peonies have been in cultivation for over 2,000 years, Primarily native to Asia and Europe, there are two species native to Western America.  The species Paeonia lactiflora  arrived in North America in the early 19th century, by French and British traders.   

  • A hardy, aromatic perennial known for its soft, gray-green foliage and abundant spikes of small, tubular flowers, typically in shades of lavender-blue. red and orange bracts against green leaves.

    Blue Catmint

    Nepeta racemosa ′Walker's Low'

    Blue catmint is famous for its lavender-blue flowers, which bloom profusely from spring through summer. These long-lasting blooms give gardens a soft, romantic look.  A pollinator magnet, bees, butterflies, and even hummingbirds love it. It's especially important for early-season pollinators when other flowers are still waking up.  After the first big bloom, if you shear it back by half, catmint will often rebloom through late summer and early fall. Pairs beautifully with roses, lavender, salvia, yarrow, and ornamental grasses. It makes a great border plant or edging for paths and beds. a splendid alternative to lavender which can be difficult to grow in this region.  

  • Blue, seven-petaled flower

    Early Large-flowered Clematis

    Clematis ′Will Goodwin′ (Early Large-flowered Group)
  • Golden-star

    Chrysogonum virginianum
  • Florida Flame Azalea

    Rhododendron austrinum
  • American Wisteria

    Wisteria frutescens ′Amethyst Falls′

    This native wisteria is an exceptional alternative to its aggressive Asian counterparts. Profusely blooming in May and June, flowering reoccurs through the end of August. The flowers are subtly fragrant, a light bluish purple and approximately five inches in length. This cultivar is a superior selection that is tough and adaptable, even in urban settings. It can grow 10 to 20 feet as a container plant, trellised or naturalized.  ‘Amethyst Falls’ is also pest resistant. It prefers full or part sun with moderate soil moisture requirements. It is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9.