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

  • Spiracle heads of small light purple flowers.
  • Plum-leaved Azalea

    Rhododendron prunifolium
  • Bottlebrush-spikes, of very fragrant creamy white flowers.

    Sweet Pepperbush

    Clethra alnifolia ′Hummingbird′

    ‘Hummingbird’ is a dwarf selection of the deciduous shrub Clethra alnifolia that displays full-size flowers on a compact three foot plant. The flowers release a wonderful scent when the upright panicles bloom from July to August. Sweet pepperbush prefers moist soil in dappled sun but will tolerate a little less light or even full sun and is hardy from USDA zones 4 to 9.  This American native is deer resistant and is a vigorous spreader.  It also attracts butterflies.

  • Oblong-shaped light purple petals with a yellow center.

    Chinese Anemone

    Anemone tomentosa ′Robustissima′
  • Purple flower inflorescences in a meadow

    Hollow Joe-Pye-weed

    Eutrochium fistulosum

    Joe-Pye-weed is a native plant, related to asters, that attracts butterflies and is profuse in our late summer Meadow.  It was used medicinally by Native Americans for the treatment of fevers, and was named for the Mohican leader, Joseph Shauquethqueat, who was also known as Joe Pye. 

  • Tall spiky pink flowers.

    Giant-hyssop

    Agastache 'Rosie Posie'
  • Tall, green stems with medium sized yellow flowers.

    Cup-plant

    Silphium perfoliatum

    The Meadow Garden is filled with plants that benefit wildlife.  Cup-plant is a native perennial that grows to 8 feet tall.  Its perfoliate leaves, which clasp around the stem forming a cup, collect water for birds and insects.  Cup-plant provides nectar and pollen for a variety of bees, while birds, especially goldfinches, eat its seeds. 

  • White petaled flower with orange center and green leaves.

    Franklinia

    Franklinia alatamaha

    Franklinia, or the Franklin tree is a small deciduous tree in the camellia family. It was first discovered by the Philadelphia based botanists John and William Bartram on the banks of the Alatamaha River in Georgia in 1765. William Bartram collected seed in 1773, and successfully cultivated the plant at the Bartram gardens in Philadelphia. Bartram named the new plant Franklinia alatamaha in honor of his father’s friend Benjamin Franklin.  It is a unique tree as it is the only species in its genus, and it is now extinct in the wild. The original stand of trees was restricted to a small area and the species went extinct soon after its discovery, with the last confirmed sighting recorded in 1803. The probable causes for its demise were increased activity associated with settlers; for example fires and land clearance. All known living specimens in cultivation today are descended from the seed collected by William Bartram.  Interestingly, while the tree was discovered in Georgia, it performs well in more northern climates. It has therefore been hypothesized that the tree was pushed south during the last ice age, then stranded when the ice retreated. The trees that the Bartrams discovered might have been the last remnants of a once much larger population.  The Franklin tree is available commercially and is prized in cultivation for both its story and its fragrant camellia-like flowers and red fall foliage.

  • Cardinal-flower

    Lobelia cardinalis

    Lobelia cardinalis, commonly known as cardinal flower, is a striking perennial native to North America, celebrated for its vivid scarlet-red blooms that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Typically found in moist environments like stream banks and wetlands, this plant thrives in full sun to partial shade and can grow up to four feet tall. Its bright flowers bloom from mid to late summer, providing a vibrant splash of color when many other plants begin to fade. Despite its beauty, all parts of the plant are toxic if ingested, a natural defense that helps deter herbivores, like deer. Not only does it enhance garden biodiversity but it also plays an important ecological role in supporting native pollinators.

  • Scarlet Rose Mallow

    Hibiscus coccineus