Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens consists of over 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

The land that Longwood Gardens is on was at one time inhabited by members of the Lenni Lenape tribe. In 1700 a Quaker family named Peirce purchased the property from William Penn and established a working farm on the land. Almost 100 years later that same family began planting an arboretum on the farm 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. In 1906 the farm was bought by Pierre du Pont so he could preserve the trees which were slated to be sold for lumber and from 1907 until the 1930s Mr. du Pont created most of what exists today as Longwood Gardens.

Today the Gardens consists of 20 outdoor gardens and 20 indoor gardens with 4.5 acres of heated greenhouses known as conservatories. It contains 11,000 different types of plants and trees and many fountains.

Longwood's main conservatory is one of the world's greatest greenhouses. The conservatory spans about a half mile and is home to 5,500 type of plants. Included in the Conservatory are the Palm House, Mediterranean Garden, Orchid House, and many others.

The main displays in the Conservatory are rotated frequently and during our visit the theme was “Lilytopia”. A display of over 10,000 cut stems of lilies from all over the world were on display.