THE MAGNIFICENT LONGWOOD GARDENS AT CHRISTMAS
Greetings and Happy Holidays! Today I invite you to join me for a visit to the magnificent Longwood Gardens at Christmas. It is one of the premier horticultural display gardens in the United States, and is open to visitors year-round to enjoy exotic plants and horticulture (both indoor and outdoor), events and performances, seasonal and themed attractions, as well as educational lectures, courses, and workshops. Every year from late November to January 7, 2017, Longwood Gardens, located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, brings the sights and sounds of Christmas to both their outdoor and indoor gardens, lighting up the night sky with over a half million lights.
Two years ago at this time we were on the east coast for the holidays and our Philadelphia-dwelling son took us to Longwood Gardens as his Christmas present to us. I realized I had never done a blog post about this very special place and thought, well, it’s never too late for some holiday loveliness. Every year the Christmas displays change, so if you visit this year you will see entirely new displays.
The Outdoor Gardens at Longwood consist of over 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in the Brandywine Creek Valley, a beautiful area about an hour outside of Philadelphia. Below is a photo of my favorite tree, decorated with edible wildlife ornaments. The ornaments were handcrafted using suet, bird seed, millet and wheat to provide an all-you-can-eat buffet to wildlife that spend winter at Longwood Gardens. The ornaments were replenished regularly throughout the season to provide a wonderful holiday feast to the local wildlife inhabitants.
A lake was dressed in strings of lights creating Christmas trees that reflected off of the water, as illuminated stars twinkled in the trees above.
As we walked the gardens we marveled at all the lights strung on miles and miles of wire glowing in the trees.
More than 6,000 seasonal plants and 50 trees were decked out with sparkling red, gold and green lights.
Pierre S. du Pont, American entrepreneur, businessman, philanthropist, and member of the prominent du Pont family purchased the property on July 20, 1906. The then, 36-year-old du Pont wasn’t planning to create Longwood Gardens, but within a few years, his desire to make it a place where he could entertain his friends, prompted him to transform a simple country farm into one of the country’s leading horticultural display gardens. The du Pont House dates from 1730 and is the oldest building at Longwood Gardens. It was the family homestead of the original land owners, the Peirce family, until 1905. It then became the weekend residence of Pierre du Pont from 1906 until his death in 1954. It is open to the public every day of the year and is included with general admission to the Gardens.
This time of year the home is decked out for Christmas as well, with holiday decor decorating every room.
Mr. du Pont wanted his gardens to be an extension of his living space so he constructed a Conservatory that was connected to the original Peirce farmhouse.
The exquisite Conservatory, a perpetual Eden, is reminiscent of the splendors of Versailles. It is one of the world’s greatest greenhouse structures that each Christmas is transformed into a holiday wonderland.
Floral trees were created with hundreds of vibrant red poinsettias.
Water and fountains were a passion of Longwood Gardens founder, Pierre S. du Pont and thus, these gardens have more fountains than any other garden in the Western Hemisphere. The spirit of the holiday season overflows with colorful fountains that seemed to dance to the holiday music in the air.
On the other hand, the water in other fountains was replaced by succulents and strings of blue lights simulating water. Isn’t it beautiful?!!
Visitors can also enjoy local choirs and musicians on select evenings, or join an Organ Sing-along. This year the theme is French.
Timed tickets are required for A Longwood Gardens Christmas, offering visitors the best opportunity to see the festive displays and exhibits. Plan your visit in advance and experience the magic of the holiday season. Tip: Choose times during non-peak days for lower prices and smaller crowds.
So there you have it: THE MAGNIFICENT LONGWOOD GARDENS AT CHRISTMAS
Thanks so much for dropping in!
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All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission.
