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Longwood Gardens’ Fall Extravaganza

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Visiting Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA is always a pleasure and one I try to do several times a year. Fortunately for me, it is close by. I made it a day trip which included a visit to Terrain, a destination nursery/garden center. For more posts on Longwood, go to- Visiting Longwood During Covid, Christmas at Longwood,  and Blooms  & Bamboo at Longwood.

Terrain in Glen Mills, PA is a great destination to combine with Longwood Gardens

 

Terrain does these amazing stacked pumpkin centerpieces
The ‘Champagne’ coral bells picks up the pumpkin colors perfectly
You can see the variety of colors and textures with this Terrain display

After visitingTerrain, I made it to Longwood Gardens while it was still daylight and was blown away by the outdoor gardens which featured spectacular grasses and lots of fall color still at peak bloom.

Mexican Sage and Lions Ears paired beautifully together
Amsonia has woderful fall foliage
Swiss Chard ‘Bright Lights’ stems pick up the blueberry fall foliage
Marigolds and Celosia are in their glory right now
A new acquisition in the Idea Garden, the sculpture of goats Lucinda and Chloe were created by Brandywine Artist, Andre Harvey
Grasses are in their glory in the fall
Striking Pink Muhly Grass takes center stage

Conservatory Displays

The first thing you see entering the main conservatory is the massive Chrysanthemum plant that was started in the Longwood’s greenhouse 17 months ago.

Beginning more than a year in advance, thousands of chrysanthemums are nurtured and trained meticulously into giant spheres, spirals, columns of cascading flowers, and pagodas. To appreciate the many different types of mums, go to Chrysanthemums: A Class of Their Own. 

Each bloom is supported and tied in
Salvia Madrensis goes so well with the yellow mums
Doorway of air plants and bromeliads
Begonias on display
This is called ‘Lily Gallon’ mum
Mexican Sage in the Conservatory
Shaped mums are in the Conservatory
Fan-Shaped Chrysanthemum is on a bamboo structure

Bonsai

My favorite exhibit by far is the Bonsai one. Lots of mums (around 90) have been started in the previous January from cuttings to direct the growth to resemble a full grown tree. Utilizing the natural shape of a tree, Longwood horticulturalists train them into traditional bonsai forms and also are encouraged to experiment with their own artistic interpretations. The cultivars used for these are called ‘gnome’ cultivars which are bred for tiny (less than 1″) leaf and bloom size. Go to Tiny Flowers: Big Hit to read more about them.

My favorite exhibit is the Chrysanthemum Bonsai

For more information about hours and visiting, go to Longwood Gardens. 

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