I wandered through Longwood gardens for five hours and I easily could have spent five days. The size and scale of everything was massive and there was a sense of opulence and excess, which I found very exciting! It was a garden that literally had it all, there were woodland and naturalized gardens, topiary gardens, rose gardens, flower gardens that were constantly "bedded" out to ensure constant blooming, amazing Italian water gardens, immaculate lawns, incredible tree canopies, tree houses, and the most impressive glass house conservatory I have ever seen. I saw countless people working and I could only imagine how many man hours were required to keep the garden at such a high level. It definitely surpassed all my expectations and I cannot wait to go back.
Above: Italian water garden
The Flower Walk, the blue and purple section
Everything planted was blooming. In other areas of the garden, gardeners were already digging out the bulbs and spent flowering plants, preparing the beds for the next round of constant bloom. Because most of these flowers were encouraged in greenhouses I was able to see Foxgloves in full flower, Asitlbes, hydrangeas, etc. It was mind boggoling from a maintenance perspective.
Everything planted was blooming. In other areas of the garden, gardeners were already digging out the bulbs and spent flowering plants, preparing the beds for the next round of constant bloom. Because most of these flowers were encouraged in greenhouses I was able to see Foxgloves in full flower, Asitlbes, hydrangeas, etc. It was mind boggoling from a maintenance perspective.
In this part of the garden there were all these areas showcasing certain kinds of plants. There were various "rooms" dedicated to grasses, roses, ground covers, herbs, and interesting perennials. It felt a little like a research library of plants.
The Chinese Tower garden.
An arresting planting combination!
Hosta sieboldii is in the foreground
View from the tower
A view of the Conservatory and another fountain garden.
The Topiary Garden
I love the backdrop of the larger trees.
A view of Pierce's Woods
Before the Duponts bought and developed Longwood into the garden we know today, the previous owners, the Pierce brothers, had already planted an arboretum and had started collecting some amazing trees. This is one area where many of their original trees were planted.
Looking from the conservatory out over the garden. I like this photograph because it showcases the many layers of the garden.
I didn't even know you were making a visit to the south! I visited Longwood Gardens many years ago, along with a visit to the Wyeth Museum. Did you happen to find your way over to that? Longwood WAS spectacular, but I must say I have a more special place in my heart for wild places and the beautiful chaos found therein....
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