Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Longwood Gardens

 Longwood Gardens, located about 30 miles from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a gorgeous collection of flowers situated on 1077 acres of land.  (Only 325 acres are open to the public.)  There are twenty indoor gardens, housed in a conservatory which contains 5,500 types of plants.  There are also 20 outdoor gardens featuring exquisite flowers, trees, and dazzling fountains.

 

Longwood Gardens has a very rich history.  Over two hundred years ago, the land was inhabited by the Lenni Lenape Indians.  In 1700, a Quaker family purchased the property from William Penn (the guy Pennsylvania is named after) and established a farm there.  In 1906, Pierre du Pont, the famous industrialist, purchased the property and created what is enjoyed today.  In 1946, the Gardens were turned over to a foundation set up by Mr. du Pont.

 

One of the gardens is the Bee-aMazed children's garden.  It features a tree house, pictured above, a Honeycomb Maze, Flower fountain, and Buzz Trail.  Kids can learn about bees and the various parts of a flower through these interactive features.



















The Gardens are open daily from 9 am to 5 pm.  Admission for adults is $18.00.  Admission for children is $8.00.

4 comments:

  1. I am amazed by this place! The inside and the outside is breath-taking.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks and sounds like a wonderful place to visit. Do you know why only about 1/3 of the land is open to the public? Just wondering. Thanks for sharing the great pictures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not sure why only a third of the garden is open to the public. I suspect it has to do with the manpower it would take to manage such a large property. As it is, 325 acres is quite a lot!

      Delete