Conservatory District

Gardens in this District

Acacia Passage

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

Cascade Garden

Opening November 22, 2024
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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bonsai Courtyard

Opening November 22, 2024
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

Waterlily Court

Opening November 22, 2024
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

West Conservatory

Opening November 22, 2024
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

West Conservatory Plaza

Opening November 22, 2024
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 as we embark on 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, opening November 22, 2024—we are honored to enhance, steward, and preserve one of the world’s most important, most beautiful collections of gardens and glasshouses.

Artistic rendering of large glass house with arched entrance and roof with four peaks. — Artist rendering of our reimagined West Conservatory

Stunning new buildings, wondrous new indoor and outdoor gardens, surprising new guest experiences, and much more await. We’re expanding 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’re preserving and enhancing 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’re entering our next chapter … with you.

Longwood remains open throughout the project and continues to be a world apart filled with memorable moments and beautiful experiences. Stay tuned for more about Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience along the way.

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

Bird-of-paradise

Strelitzia reginae

An evergreen perennial with red-edged, banana-like leaves, bird-of-paradise blooms intermittently from summer through to winter. The flowers resemble the head of the crowned crane, hence the common name, crane flower in its native South Africa. It is named in honor of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, with the specific epithet reginae meaning ‘of the queen’. The plant can be grown from seeds or division, prefers a loamy soil, and is well adapted to full sun.
- Orangery
Anthurium

Anthurium ′Anthcrao′ Utah (Andreanum Group)
- Orangery
Orchid

x Rhyncholaeliocattleya Greenwich 'Elmhurst'
- Orchid House
Century-plant

Agave americana

The century-plant is a succulent perennial that blooms once in its life after living 10-25 years. The single flower stalk reaches 15-30 feet or more in height and produces yellow bloom clusters. The plant will die following its bloom after expending all of its energy to produce the flower. Agave americana is pollinated primarily by bats in its native habitat in Mexico.
- Silver Garden