Longwood Gardens...Birds and a garden of lights for the Holidays!

I have made one trip to Longwood Gardens each year since I was a baby.  Missing a visit (if any) always made that year seem incomplete.  In all of this time however, I have never visited the garden during the Holidays and following this recent trip, it is hard to believe that I will not turn my yearly visit into two.

 

 

 

Touring the gardens in the winter gives it a completely new perspective, forcing me to notice things that I never would have during the rest of the year.  It brings the garden inside, creating a spectacular setting for the garden to thrive all year long.

I arrived mid afternoon, wandered about as the sun set, and had a wonderful (but very chilly) walk through the grounds to see the outside lights.  This transformation of light in the conservatory was a surprise, as the garden spaces changed so drastically as evening approached. 

One of the highlights for me was to see the conservatory floor covered with a layer of water, which has been a rare occurrence during my visits.  The floor and fountain in the center were lined with pink poinsettas, while crystal lights hung down from the ceiling like icicles.  Orchids hovered high above in hanging planters.  In the distance, a magical blue wisteria tree stood out like the paint daubs in one of Monet's Water Lilies paintings.  The tree, made entirely out of cut paper, stood in the grand banquet room as the centerpiece for an elaborate peacock themed table scape.

 

 

I had a chance to sit in the grand ballroom for the first time, and listen to a holiday musical performance.  The back room museum was open where the mind blowing, multi-story, 10,010 pipe Aeolian organ is housed.  Listening to the elaborate instrument in this setting was like being transported back in time, allowing me to catch a glimpse of what it might have sounded like at a formal DuPont dinner party back in the 1920's.

In the main conservatory, Narcissus and Amaryllis popped up and out among blue gray foliage, while the paths were lined with bushy red and pink Poinsettas.

A variety of periwinkle blooms stood against yellows and oranges creating a wonderful winter combination of color.  I was enchanted by the variety of plants that were used in each display and deliberately in each room.

Even the little pomegranate bonsai was proudly showing off it's year's work.

The theme this year was centered around birds, which was exciting for me as I have recently adopted the tradition of collecting one bird ornament each year.  Not only were there birds hidden in every nook of the conservatory, but the lights and plants that surrounded them were spectacular.

From pine cone penguins in the dessert house...

To the tiny bluebirds perched among the willow branches...

And an evergreen tree centered in a pineapple patch, inhabited by cardinals, blue birds, snowy owls, and woodpeckers!...

While tiny fluttering glass hummingbirds flitted around in the tropical garden...

The arctic theme in the dessert garden seemed to be a fitting contrast, warming the penguins as the sun began to set in the icy backdrop of the world outside...

The conservatory began to transform into a magical, twinkling setting.  The lighting at this time of day was beautiful as the grand space began to take on a different personality, becoming more intimate and cozy.  The cobalt blue sky created a perfect compliment to the warm light and colorful plants and flowers inside.

Finally, it was time to venture out of the warmth of the greenhouses and into the frigid cold.  I made my way along the path to see the colorful lights decorating the trees in the landscape.  Knowing this place so well, it was wonderful to see it so transformed, allowing the trees to have their moment on stage.

And so my first holiday trip to Longwood was a success.  What a festive garden visit in the middle of cold cold months of winter! 

Until spring...

Longwood Gardens All to Myself: Backwards

After 30-ish years or so of visiting Longwood Gardens, this May marked the first year that my family and I had the grounds to ourselves.  Well not exactly, but it sure seemed like it.  There were a number of factors that contributed to my new-found, imaginary acquisition of the historic DuPont property.  First, it was close to 95 degrees that day, though with beautiful crystal clear blue skies, and second, it was not a holiday, or a weekend. 

In years past, we have practically always visited the gardens on Memorial Day weekend, which often brings floods of garden and fountain enthusiasts.  However, even though it is crowded at Longwood, you usually don't notice it.  That is the wonder of the garden landscape, allowing visitors to escape from the world into their own private spaces.  

But on this day, Longwood Gardens would become all mine.

Longwood Gardens is located in  Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.  The property, originally inhabited by the Lenni Lenape Indians, has had a rich history dating back to the 1700's.  As it stands today the grounds were designed in the early 1900's, mainly at the hands of Pierre S. du Pont.  The gardens are known for their festival of fountains, Italianate gardens, and magnificent Conservatory. 

In 30 years of visiting the gardens, one comes to expect certain things, which to a new observer might be a magical discovery.  To these seasoned visitors, the garden experience becomes something entirely different.  One must look to discover new spots, subtleties, and details, that overwhelmed new visitors would most likely overlook.   The garden has "rooms", palaces in fact, each with its own individual character and personality.  The topiary and rose gardens feel like entering Alice's Wonderland, while the great fountain lawn feels like stepping straight into the palace of Versailles.  The Italian water garden seems surreal in it's perfection, as if the ghosts of time are present here, content on never leaving paradise. 

There is a section ( my favorite ) where the fountains are not running, and the blue tile is deteriorating with weeds poking their way through.  In this spot, there are so many details, so much possibility for my mind to imagine what this place must have looked like in the early 1900's. 

This year, we decided to explore the garden backwards; backwards for us, that is.  It is amazing how taking a different route, and seeing things in an unexpected way can change the entire experience. 

This year, I paid particular attention to the teaching garden, where you can view a wide variety of perennials, and get great ideas to apply to your own garden.   The poppies and peonies were unbelievable.

 

And a great veggie garden....

 Herb Garden....I loved the curls of the garlic scapes....

We then ventured out of the teaching area and started to make our way towards the conservatory.

Can you spot the monkey puzzle trees??

The Longwood conservatory is full of Tropical, Desert, and Mediterranean climates, along with rose, and hibiscus specimens, a beautiful indoor plant display, and outdoor water lily garden.  

 

And my all time favorite highlight, is the orchid collection.  Over the many years of visiting collection, I always secretly wished that I could have the orchid room all to myself, to pretend that it was all mine.  This is by far the best, most extensive collection that I have seen in my garden travels.  

Finally, we left the conservatory looking out regally at the landscape below, and made our way past the formal flower beds, down winding, natural wooded paths, to the Italian Water Garden.

I was interested to learn that this garden is a lesson in linear and spatial perspective.  It was designed with the back pools fourteen feet longer so that when viewed from above the pools would all appear to be the same size.  

Can you spot the waterfall steps??

Finally, the day ended where most years it begins.  This display felt to me like a black and white movie, completely desaturated, but full of exciting texture and value.  We exited the bright wonderland, full of vibrant color, returning through the bluish gray, monochromatic gates to the real world.  

A seemingly appropriate end to a wonderful, backwards visit.