Longwood Gardens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Longwood Gardens
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The Italian Water Garden at Longwood Gardens
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 Location in Pennsylvania
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| Location | Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, United States |
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| Area | 1,100 acres (450 ha) |
| Visitation | 1.6 million (2023) |
| NRHP reference No. | 72001105 |
| Added to NRHP | December 10, 1972 |
Longwood Gardens is a huge public garden in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, USA. It covers more than 1,100 acres of beautiful gardens, forests, and open fields. It's one of the best gardens in the United States. You can visit Longwood Gardens all year round. It has many different plants, both from the local area and from far away. You can also enjoy fun events, shows, and special attractions that change with the seasons. They even offer classes and workshops to learn about plants and gardening.
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History of Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens has a very old and interesting history. For thousands of years, the native Lenni Lenape tribe lived here. They fished in the streams, hunted in the forests, and grew crops in the fields. You can still find arrowheads from their time on the property. These are shown in the Peirce-du Pont House at Longwood Gardens.
Early Owners and the Peirce Family
In 1700, a Quaker farmer named George Peirce bought 402 acres of this land. He bought it from William Penn's helpers. George's son, Joshua, cleared the land and started farming. In 1730, he built the brick farmhouse that is still there today. It has been made bigger over the years.
In 1798, Joshua's grandsons, Samuel and Joshua, took over the farm. They loved nature and started planting an arboretum. An arboretum is a special garden for trees. Their collection grew to cover 15 acres. They gathered trees from the wild and bought plants from famous plant experts.
By 1850, their arboretum had one of the best tree collections in the country. It became a popular spot for local people to gather outdoors. This was a new idea at the time. People held picnics and social events at Peirce's Park. The area was known as "Long Woods" before the Civil War. It was a safe place for people escaping slavery on the Underground Railroad. Quakers from nearby towns helped them.
Pierre S. du Pont Saves the Gardens
In the early 1900s, the Peirce family no longer wanted the property. The arboretum started to fall apart. A lumber company planned to cut down all the old trees in 1906. This made Pierre S. du Pont step in. He was a famous businessman and a kind person.
On July 20, 1906, 36-year-old du Pont bought the farm. He mainly wanted to save the beautiful trees. He didn't plan to create Longwood Gardens at first. But soon, he wanted a place to entertain his friends. This wish turned the simple farm into one of the country's best display gardens.
Pierre du Pont opened the garden to the public in 1921. In 1937, he created the Longwood Foundation. This foundation took control of the gardens in 1946. When he passed away in 1954, he had made sure Longwood would continue. The garden was free to visit until 1973. After that, it started charging for tickets.
Recent Additions and Growth
In 2018, Longwood Gardens bought the old Longwood Cemetery. It's near the main entrance. Famous people like Bayard Taylor are buried there.
In 2024, Longwood Gardens bought Granogue. This is a 505-acre area in Delaware. It helps protect open spaces along the Brandywine River.
What You Can See Today
Today, Longwood Gardens covers 1,100 acres. It has many outdoor gardens, from fancy designs to natural landscapes. There are also 1.6 acres of indoor gardens inside large glass buildings called Conservatories. These have 13 indoor gardens and 859 different types of plants. You can also see amazing fountains.
Longwood Gardens also has great learning programs. They have a free two-year school for gardening experts. They also offer many internships. Each year, they host hundreds of events. These include flower shows, gardening lessons, and children's programs. There are also concerts, organ recitals, and fountain shows with fireworks. During the holidays, they have a huge Christmas light display.
More than a million people visit the Gardens each year. In 2010, Longwood started planning for its future growth. They hired a Dutch design company called West 8. Their goal is to keep Longwood special while making it great for even more visitors. The first big project was fixing up the Main Fountain Garden. This work started in 2014 and finished in 2017.
Gardens and Fountains
The Peirce family started developing Longwood as a public garden in the 1800s. Joshua and Samuel Peirce collected many local and foreign trees. They planted them in neat rows near their farmhouse. This area became known as Peirce's Park. Visitors still enjoy Peirce's Park today. Pierre S. du Pont added the Sylvan Fountain there in 1925–27.
After Pierre S. du Pont bought the property in 1906, he added more outdoor gardens. In 1907, he created the 600-foot-long Flower Garden Walk. This walk has a pool called the Round Fountain. Its simple water jet was Longwood's first fountain.
In 1914, du Pont added the Open Air Theatre. He got the idea from visiting a beautiful villa in Italy.
From 1925 to 1927, du Pont designed and built the Italian Water Garden. He was inspired by another visit to Italy. This garden is northeast of Longwood's Large Lake.
In 1928, du Pont started adding fountains to a garden he began in 1921. This area, south of the Conservatory, became his biggest project. It is the 5-acre Main Fountain Garden. This garden mixes Italian designs with French grand style. It also has the excitement of a World's Fair show. It was a marvel of engineering for its time. The Main Fountain Garden opened in 1931. It was the last major project du Pont built in the gardens.
In 1957, the Waterlily Display opened. Russell Seibert, Longwood's first director after du Pont's death, oversaw it.
In the 1970s, a landscape architect named Thomas Church helped Longwood plan for the future. He designed the Theatre Garden (1975), the Wisteria Garden (1976), and the Peony Garden (1976).
Later, in 1987, Sir Peter Shepheard redesigned the Waterlily Display. It reopened in 1988.
In 1995, landscape architect W. Gary Smith designed Peirce's Woods. He made it an "art form" garden. It shows off the most beautiful parts of the eastern deciduous forest. Thousands of native plants were added. Many were saved from the North Carolina mountains before a highway was built.
In 2014, Longwood Gardens opened its new Meadow Garden. This American landscape covers 86 acres. It features native plants. The Meadow Garden is carefully managed to control unwanted plants and help wildlife. The old Webb Farmhouse, from the 1700s, was fixed up. It now serves as a place to learn about the meadow.
Also in 2014, Longwood Gardens started its biggest project ever. They revitalized the historic Main Fountain Garden. It reopened on May 27, 2017.
In 2021, Longwood started Longwood Reimagined. This is a huge project to expand and update the Conservatory and its surroundings. It's the biggest change in a century. When it opens in November 2024, it will have:
- A new 32,000-square-foot West Conservatory. It will have Mediterranean-style gardens, pools, and fountains.
- The Cascade Garden, designed by Roberto Burle Marx, moved to its own special glasshouse.
- A new outdoor Bonsai Courtyard.
- A refreshed Waterlily Court.
- A new restaurant and event space.
- A new central area for studios, a library, and offices called The Grove.
- A preserved and expanded Orchid House.
Other outdoor gardens and features include:
- Birdhouse Treehouse
- Canopy Cathedral Treehouse
- Chimes Tower and Waterfall
- East Conservatory Plaza
- Flower Garden Walk
- Forest Walk
- Hillside Garden
- Idea Garden
- Italian Water Garden
- Large and Small Lake
- Lookout Loft Treehouse
- Main Fountain Garden
- Meadow Garden
- Ornamental Kitchen Garden
- Oak and Conifer Knoll
- Peirce's Park
- Peirce's Woods
- Peony Garden
- Rose Arbor
- Rose Garden
- Student Exhibition Garden
- Theatre Garden
- Topiary Garden
- Waterlily Display
- Wisteria Gardens
The Conservatory
Longwood's first Conservatory was built in 1914. Pierre S. du Pont added an L-shaped part to the original Peirce farmhouse. This doubled its size. A glass conservatory connected the old and new parts.
Longwood's second and largest Conservatory opened in 1921. It has 4,600 types of plants and trees. It has been made bigger and updated many times. In 1966, the Palm House opened. It was designed by Victorine and Samuel Homsey. The Palm House closed in 2021 for the Longwood Reimagined project. In 1989, the new Silver Garden opened. This garden looks like a dry desert stream bed.
In 1988, Roberto Burle Marx redesigned the former Desert House. He was a famous landscape designer from Brazil. The new garden was called the Cascade Garden. It opened in June 1992. The Cascade Garden was moved to its own special glasshouse as part of Longwood Reimagined.
In 1993, the 100-foot-long Mediterranean Garden opened. It was designed by Ron Lutsko Jr. This garden also closed in 2021 for Longwood Reimagined.
In January 2003, the East Conservatory closed for updates. The main hall reopened on October 29, 2005.
In 2007, a much larger Indoor Children's Garden opened. It replaced a smaller one from the 1980s. In 2010, a large indoor green wall was added. It was designed by British landscape architect Kim Wilkie. This green wall has 47,000 plants. It was the biggest green wall in North America when it opened. It is the entrance to the bathrooms. It was even voted America's Best Restroom in 2014!
Main Conservatory gardens include:
- Acacia Passage
- Camellia House
- East Conservatory
- Exhibition Hall
- Garden Path
- Green Wall
- Indoor Children's Garden
- Orangery
- Orchid House
- Silver Garden
Peirce-du Pont House
The Peirce-du Pont House is the oldest building at Longwood Gardens. It dates back to 1730. It was the home of the Peirce family until 1905. Then, Pierre du Pont used it as his weekend home from 1906 until he passed away in 1954. You can visit it every day. It's included with your garden ticket.
This large country home was built in five main stages over almost 200 years. The first two-story brick farmhouse was built by Joshua Peirce in 1730. It replaced an earlier log cabin. The bricks were laid in a special pattern. In 1764, a two-story part was added to the east side. This included a new dining room. In 1824, the house became twice as big with a large addition to the north. In 1909, Pierre du Pont updated the house. He added a two-story part to the north. He also added plumbing, electricity, and heating.
The biggest addition was built by du Pont in 1914. He added a part that looked just like the original farmhouse. At the same time, the two parts of the house were connected by Longwood's first conservatory.
After Pierre du Pont's death in 1954, the 1914 rooms became offices. Many of du Pont's things went to his family. But his garden books stayed and started Longwood's plant library. His other books and papers went to the Hagley Museum and Library.
The Heritage Exhibit in the house tells the story of Longwood's history and plants. It uses old photos and papers to show the 300-year history of the property. Even though the rooms don't look like a home anymore, you can still see their original design. Photos show how they looked when du Pont lived there.
Plant Collections
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Longwood Gardens has over 10,000 different types of plants! While the main goal is to show off beautiful plant displays, they also focus on special collections. These are called core collections. They get extra care and attention. Currently, four core collections are recognized by the American Public Gardens Association:
- Nymphaea (Waterlilies)
- Buxus (Boxwood)
- Chrysanthemum
- Peirce's trees
Each core collection has a plan for how it will grow and be shown.
Here are some of the core collections:
- Australia Collection: Plants native to Australia.
- Bonsai and Penjing Collection: Amazing examples of Japanese bonsai and Chinese penjing art.
- Boxwood Collection: Plants from the Buxus family, from where they naturally grow.
- Camellia Collection: Old types of Camellia japonica from France or Belgium.
- Chrysanthemum Collection: Old Japanese cascade types of Chrysanthemum.
- Du Pont Legacy Collection: Plants that Pierre and Alice du Pont grew at Longwood from 1906 to 1954.
- Fern Collection: All kinds of ferns, both tropical and hardy.
- Holly Collection: Native types and mixes of the Ilex family.
- Lilac Collection: Types of Syringa vulgaris grown in the United States before the 1950s.
- Magnolia Collection: Types of Magnolia native to eastern North America.
- South African Collection: Beautiful bulb, corm, and tuber plants native to South Africa.
- Oak Collection: Types of Quercus (oak) native to eastern North America.
- Orchid Collection: Tropical orchids grown before the 1950s.
- Peirce's Tree Collection: Trees grown around Philadelphia in the early 1800s.
- Victoria Collection: Giant waterlilies from the Victoria family.
- Waterlily Collection: Waterlilies grown in North America.
Longwood Gardens also has a herbarium. This is like a library of dried plant samples. It helps them keep track of their living plant collection. These samples are important for identifying plants and for plant research. The herbarium helps preserve Longwood's plant history. It also helps with their education programs.
Education Programs
Longwood Gardens offers many classes for gardeners of all levels. You can learn about gardening, landscape design, art, flower arranging, and protecting nature. They have free programs for students from kindergarten to 12th grade. These programs follow science standards. High school programs focus on topics like caring for the environment, different types of living things, and how to grow plants. They also offer free field trips for students.
They have internships for students in 16 different areas. These include managing greenhouses, designing displays, and researching plants. There are also internships for international students.
If you want a career in gardening, Longwood offers a free two-year Professional Horticulture Program. The Longwood Fellows Program helps future leaders in public gardens.
Research and Conservation
Longwood Gardens does important research to help plants. Here are some examples:
- Cineraria Propagation: Growing a special blue Cineraria plant.
- Yellow Clivia: Breeding a yellow Clivia miniata with double flowers.
- Canna Virus: Using special lab methods to get rid of viruses in Canna plants.
- Echium simplex: Finding the best time to plant Echium simplex for good growth.
- Roldana petasitis: Growing Roldana petasitis for display in the Conservatory.
- Chrysanthemum Virus B: Removing a virus from Chrysanthemum plants to make them virus-free.
- Hardy Camellias: Developing a Camellia that can handle cold weather, is easier to grow, and blooms all year.
- Cultivar Introduction: Creating new plant types that are chosen, named, or introduced by Longwood Gardens.
- Plant Explorer: Helping to fill a plant database and study climate change.
- Plant Expeditions: Going on trips around the world to find and collect new plants.
Performing Arts
Longwood has always been a place for shows and music. Pierre S. du Pont hosted garden parties with music and fireworks. This started when he built the Flower Garden Walk.
Du Pont opened his Open Air Theatre in 1914. By 1915, he added simple fountains to the stage. In 1927, the Theatre was made bigger. It got lighted fountains and a 10-foot water curtain. The 1,500-seat Open Air Theatre celebrated its 100th birthday in 2014. It has hosted over 1,500 shows. These include plays, musicals, choirs, and the United States Marine Band. It's still a popular place for summer shows.
Longwood also has shows in other outdoor gardens. You might hear Indian music in the Italian Water Garden. Or see plays in the Main Fountain Garden.
Longwood's shows now happen all year. This is thanks to its indoor spaces, the Ballroom and Exhibition Hall. The Ballroom reopened in October 2005 after big updates. It was built in 1929 for Longwood's pipe organ. It was also used for concerts, talks, and dinners, just like today. The Ballroom is special with its unique floor, fabric walls, and a ceiling made of 1,104 pink glass panels.
The Exhibition Hall has hosted many performers. These include dance bands, opera singers, and famous musicians like John Philip Sousa. The beautiful bougainvillea plants on the pillars are from the 1920s. The marble floor is often covered with a few inches of water to reflect seasonal displays. But it can be drained for shows and events.
The Longwood Organ
The Longwood Organ is a huge instrument with 10,010 pipes! It was designed by Firmin Swinnen, a Belgian musician. The pipes were so many that they filled fourteen train cars. It needed a very powerful motor to make enough wind. It was the largest pipe organ ever put in a private home. Pierre du Pont ordered this giant organ in 1929. It replaced an older organ that he gave to the University of Delaware. The organ plays into the Ballroom. You can hear it throughout the Conservatory when special window panels are open. You can see the pipes through glass panels in Longwood's organ museum. The organ was fixed up from 2004 to 2011. Longwood Gardens also holds an international organ competition. Young talented organists compete on this amazing instrument.
The Carillon
In 1929, Pierre du Pont built the 61-foot-tall stone Chimes Tower. He saw a similar tower in France. He bought the biggest set of tower chimes he could find. He even tested one chime to see how far its sound would travel. Twenty-five tubular chimes were put in the tower. Du Pont even had a switch in his house to play them! These were replaced by an electronic carillon in 1956. Finally, in 2001, a carillon with 62 cast bells from the Netherlands was installed.
Visitors can also enjoy live concerts from the carillon in the summer and fall.
Seasonal Attractions
Longwood Gardens has many art and music events all year. But there are five main times when the whole garden has a special theme:
- Winter Wonder: Starts in mid-January.
- Spring Blooms: Starts at the beginning of April.
- Festival of Fountains: Runs from early May through October.
- Autumn's Colors: Starts in early September and ends with the Chrysanthemum festival.
- A Longwood Christmas: Starts before Thanksgiving and ends the first week of January.
Images for kids
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Chimes Tower in Longwood Gardens
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Main Fountain Garden prior to the renovation
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Main Fountain Garden, post-renovation. Also shown is the recurring "Fireworks & Fountains" show.
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East Conservatory, Longwood Gardens
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Indoor hall, November 2012
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Exterior walkway, November 2012
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Peirce-Du Pont House, currently a museum
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Fountain night display in the Open Air Theater, 2006
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Longwood Gardens railway display, 2010
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One-Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum shown during the annual Chrysanthemum Festival, November 2012
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See also
In Spanish: Longwood Gardens para niños
