Longwood Gardens
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Each season throughout the year, Longwood invites visitors to peruse indoor and outdoor gardens showcasing over 11,000 different species, varieties, and cultivars plants, representing more than 200 different plant families. Nearly 300 different types of ferns, 60 species and varieties of palms, and Pierre du Pont’s beloved citrus trees grow heartily in indoor conservatories. Enjoy cascades of chrysanthemums, springtime blue poppies, romantic blooms of clematis, and much more at this spectacular garden oasis.
History of Longwood Gardens. Many people had a hand in creating today’s Longwood Gardens, but Pierre S. du Pont, a industrialist, conservationist, farmer, and philanthropist, is the name most associated with the creation of the park. The great-grandson of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, founder of the DuPont Chemical company, Pierre du Pont built the family business into a corporate empire and used his fortune to develop the Longwood property. Quakers Joshua and Samuel Peirce purchased the land as a working farm in 1700, and began planting an arboretum on the property in 1798. By 1850, the site was known as one of the finest collections of trees in the nation, and one of the first public parks. Pierre du Pont purchased the farm in 1906 in order to preserve the trees, and he worked diligently from 1907 until the 1930s to create most of the gardens we enjoy today. In 1946, the Gardens were turned over to a charitable foundation. Today, Longwood Gardens is a magnificent 1,050-acre showplace with 20 indoor and 20 outdoor gardens that everyone can enjoy. [Top]
The Holiday Inn – a Hotel Near Longwood Gardens. The Holiday Inn Stadium offers family friendly accommodations, extra amenities and a convenient location close to Philadelphia’s best attractions, like Longwood Gardens. Enjoy our comfortable rooms, family friendly features, and great vacation package deals when you stay with us. [Top]
Pierre du Pont. The du Pont family was known for a long tradition of gardening, and Pierre was one of the family’s greatest gardeners. His purchase of the property just to save the trees reflects a fondness and love of plants and gardens that started in his childhood. Pierre's travels around the world exposed him to new experiences, ideas and technology and at the spectacular World's Fairs of the late nineteenth century, Pierre was able to experience new technology that he later implemented at Longwood. Water pumps, illuminated fountains and spectacular architecture filled his head with ideas that he would draw upon when setting down plans for the gardens.
Pierre was influenced by a wide variety of garden settings, including Horticultural Hall at the 1876 Centennial, England's famous Crystal Palace, the garden maze at Hampton Court, and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. The exotic flora of South America, the Caribbean, Florida, California, and Hawaii all appealed to du Pont and his visits to more than 20 Italian villas and 50 French châteaux focused on the architectural qualities and water effects of their gardens.
Pierre du Pont began creating Longwood Gardens little by little, starting in 1907 with the 600-foot-long Flower Garden Walk. With nostalgic cottage-garden flowers, lively shrubs, rose-covered trellises, and a shiny gazing ball, the grand garden was the site of a garden party that eventually became an annual event that was the highlight of the summer social season. Five years later, Pierre debuted an Open Air Theatre, completed with secret fountains that shot out of the stage floor to drench visiting nieces and nephews. Pierre continued to enhance the property by enlarging the house in 1914 and through the construction of a massive conservatory, which opened in 1921. Pierre’s masterpiece, the Italian Water Garden, was his last major construction project – completed in the 1930s – and is a highlight of the Longwood tour. [Top]
Pierre was influenced by a wide variety of garden settings, including Horticultural Hall at the 1876 Centennial, England's famous Crystal Palace, the garden maze at Hampton Court, and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. The exotic flora of South America, the Caribbean, Florida, California, and Hawaii all appealed to du Pont and his visits to more than 20 Italian villas and 50 French châteaux focused on the architectural qualities and water effects of their gardens.
Pierre du Pont began creating Longwood Gardens little by little, starting in 1907 with the 600-foot-long Flower Garden Walk. With nostalgic cottage-garden flowers, lively shrubs, rose-covered trellises, and a shiny gazing ball, the grand garden was the site of a garden party that eventually became an annual event that was the highlight of the summer social season. Five years later, Pierre debuted an Open Air Theatre, completed with secret fountains that shot out of the stage floor to drench visiting nieces and nephews. Pierre continued to enhance the property by enlarging the house in 1914 and through the construction of a massive conservatory, which opened in 1921. Pierre’s masterpiece, the Italian Water Garden, was his last major construction project – completed in the 1930s – and is a highlight of the Longwood tour. [Top]
Visiting Longwood Gardens. Longwood Gardens is open daily, with operating hours that vary throughout the season. The Garden Shop is open daily from 9am until 15 minutes after the gardens close. Ticket prices range from $2 – $15 depending on the season. Children under five are admitted for free. For more information on operating hours, tickets and events, visit www.longwoodgardens.org. [Top]
