longwood CHIMES 289
Summer 2014
P.O. P.O. Box Box 501 501 Kennett Kennett Square Square PA PA 19348 19348 tt 610.388.1000 610.388.1000 longwoodgardens.org longwoodgardens.org
Director Director Paul Paul B. B. Redman Redman
June June 20, 20, 2014 2014
Dear Dear Staff, Members, Pensioners, and Volunteers, ItIt gives gives me me great great pleasure pleasure to to continue introducethe to you legacy a publication of the Longwood that’s Chimes been a part rightofwhere Longwood we left off with Gardens this for issue, more #289. than I am 50 years, incredibly the Longwood proud of this Chimes. revived Telling publication. stories, recalling It honorshistory, our history. and It brings sharinglife important to our mission milestones and vision. with our It isstaff, beautifully pensioners, written andand volunteers designed hasbyalways a hostbeen of talented staff. important It highlights to us and ourtomost our culture important here. asset, Now,our we’d people, like toand share how this they with all you, workour to make loyal Members. Longwood Gardens one of the great gardens of the world. This past year the Chimes has gone through a revitalization, and we picked up right where we left Telling off withstories, this issue, recalling #289.history, I am incredibly and sharing proud important of this revived milestones publication. with you It remains honors our important, history. and It brings how we lifedo to this our mission may be aand bit different vision. It is than beautifully what you’ve written beenand accustomed designed to. by We’ve a host of been talented thoughtful staff. It highlights and, just our like most Mr.important du Pont, innovative asset, our on people, how best and how to share theystories all work and toinformation make Longwood with Gardens you one to capture of the great not only gardens the past of the butworld. the present and future. We’ve also expanded our readership by sharing this publication with our extended Longwood family, our Members. Did you Enjoy know the Longwood that we have Chimes over 51,000 which Membership henceforth will households come to you andtwice it keeps a year growing? and will The always Longwood reflect Chimes our legacy, will show now become you our afinest part of horticulture, their worldand just provide like it’s been you with a part perspective of yours. on our education and the arts in a way that continues to bring meaning to why we do what we do. We’re thrilled Enjoy that this thiswill latest now issue, become which a part henceforth of your will world come justto like you it’stwice beenaayear partand of ours. will always reflect our legacy, show you our finest horticulture, and provide you with perspective on our education and the See arts you in athe way Gardens, that continues to bring meaning to why we do what we do… together. See you in the Gardens, Paul B. Redman Director Paul B. Redman Director P.S. All Chimes Tower level Members will receive an annual print subscription to the Longwood Chimes as a benefit of their Membership. All other Member levels will receive this publication electronically. Please consider advancing your Membership to the Chimes Tower level, in order to continue your complimentary print subscription to the Longwood Chimes.
No. 289
From the new Meadow Garden, to the Centennial Celebration of our Open Air Theatre, to famed photographer Rodney Smith, the legacy of the Longwood Chimes continues right where we left off with issue no. 289. Since 1957, Longwood Gardens has shared its history through variations of this publication with Staff and Pensioners. We’ve now revived and reinterpreted the Chimes to also share with our valued Members. We’re thrilled that it will now become a part of your world, either once again or for the first time.
In Brief
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Cultivating a Global Perspective Young interns get the chance to garden globally with the launch of the TRIAD Fellowship. By Molly Prentiss
Features
A Mindful Meadow Longwood debuts its largest garden project—the 86-acre Meadow Garden. By Molly Prentiss
A Century of Song and Dance Under the Stars The Open Air Theatre celebrates 100 years of arts. A fond look back. By Colvin Randall
End Notes
A Small World Longwood student alumni represent 38 countries and 50 states. Travel around the globe with us.
Field Notes A brief look at the history and community behind the Meadow Garden. By Molly Prentiss
Last of the Lenni Lenape A look back at the life of Indian Hannah, the last member of the Lenni Lenape tribe to inhabit the Brandywine region. By Sandy Reber
Hedge Fun Famed photographer Rodney Smith shares his favorite images captured in the grandeur of our Topiary Garden. By Rodney Smith
A Core Collection: Nymphaea Longwood’s history with growing and displaying Nymphaea dates back to 1957. A review of its development, management, and display.
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The Naturalist’s Desk Words of wisdom from naturalist Aldo Leopold, and a visual inventory of artifacts, specimens, and reference from the Longwood Gardens Library & Archives, gathered as inspiration for the Meadow Garden.
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In Brief
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A collection of Field Guides from the Longwood Gardens Library & Archives. Pictured from top to bottom: Wildflowers: How to Know and Enjoy Them by Samuel H. Gottscho, 1951; A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers from Northern Arizona and New Mexico to British Columbia by John J. Craighead, Frank C. Craighead, Jr., and Ray J. Davis, 1963; How to Know the Mosses: A Popular Guide to the Mosses of the Northeastern United States by Elizabeth Marie Dunham, 1916; Wild Flower Guide: Northeastern and Midland United States by Edgar Theodore Wherry, 1948. Vintage edition of A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, 1949, courtesy of Longwood Gardens Digital Research Specialist Maureen McCadden.
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Education
Cultivating a Global Perspective “We’re looking for plant people!”
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Young interns get the chance to garden globally with the launch of the TRIAD Fellowship. By Molly Prentiss
In May, six lucky (and very accomplished) young horticulturists embarked on an opportunity to live, work, and learn at three of the most distinguished and unique gardens in the world: Hidcote Manor Garden in Gloucestershire, England; The Miracle Planet Museum of Plants on Awaji Island, Japan; and our very own Longwood Gardens. The new Great Gardens of the World TRIAD Fellowship selects two young professionals from each of the host countries to experience four-month work-studies in each of the partnering countries for the duration of a year. In this highly engaging and immersive program, the young horticulturists will experience not just the gardens of far-off lands, but the cultures as well. “It’s very competitive,” says Longwood’s Education Department Head Douglas Needham about the TRIAD Fellowship. “These are really deserving and well-educated individuals, who love plants, love gardening, and who love the concept of design in gardening. We’re looking for plant people!” What these chosen horticulturists will discover at each of their international posts will differ dramatically in each location. They’ll learn about traditional English gardening and heritage property management at Hidcote, a mostly outdoor garden with, as Needham describes, “garden ‘rooms’ so that you don’t see the expanse of the garden at once, but rather you experience it unfolding before you as you move from room to room.” The Fellows will then explore ancient Japanese floral design (or Ikebana) at Hyogo, learn the art of bonsai and traditional Japanese gardening, and learn methods of creativity and display at the Miracle Planet Museum of Plants. “The Museum is very artistic with very unusual ways of displaying the plants, very avant-garde,” explains Needham. At Longwood, the Fellows will “experience the very rich history of the Longwood property—not only the four acres under glass, but the 350 acres of manicured gardens and expansive Meadow Garden,” says Needham. The TRIAD Fellowship, which began in May when the first two Longwood fellowship recipients traveled to England, follows a long tradition of education programs with international ties that all share a common objective: to groom the next generation of leaders in public horticulture. Looking back, the first program was the International Horticultural Training Program, initiated by Longwood’s first director, Russell Seibert, in 1956. This program remains in place to this day, and is now called the International Trainee Program. If we fast forward to a more recent inclusion, the partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society and the Garden Club of America provides a yearlong internship for a British national to study at Longwood through the RHS/GCA Interchange Fellowship. Although each international education program maintains a varied focus and mission, these programs, in general, widen the lens with which students view the world and the work they do. “It’s about opening your eyes to that global perspective,” says Needham. “We are culturally different, but we. . . share the same passion to grow plants and display them in beautiful ways. What a fantastic thing to open up to the students!”
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Education
A Small World Photographs by David Ward
Longwood student alumni represent 38 countries and 50 states. Travel around the globe with us.
This globe was designed by Gustav Brueckman and manufactured by Replogle Globes, Chicago, Illinois, around 1948. Our founder, Pierre S. du Pont, originally purchased the globe, which is still on display in the Peirce-du Pont House Library.
Russia Poland Czech Republic Hungary Croatia Romania
Finland Estonia Sweden Denmark Germany The Netherlands Switzerland Italy
United Kingdom Ireland France Spain Uzbekistan India China
Republic of Korea Japan
Singapore
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New Zealand Australia
Liberia Nigeria Cameroon
Iran Israel South Africa
North Dakata South Dakota Nebraska Montana Alaska Wyoming Idaho Washington Oregon
Colorado Nevada Utah California Oklahoma Arizona New Mexico Texas Kansas Hawaii Missouri Mexico
Arkansas Louisiana
Wisconsin Minnesota Iowa Canada
Illinois Indiana Michigan Kentucky Ohio
West Virginia Maryland Pennsylvania
New Hampshire Vermont Maine Massachusetts Connecticut Rhode Island New York New Jersey Delaware Virginia North Carolina South Carolina
Tennessee Georgia Bermuda Alabama Florida Mississippi
Costa Rica Chile Argentina
Key Countries States
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Last of the Lenni Lenape
A look back at the life of Indian Hannah, the last member of the Lenni Lenape tribe to inhabit the Brandywine Region. By Sandy Reber
Indian Hannah was born in 1730 on the Webb Farm property, which has been a part of Longwood’s eastern border since 1915. Her tribe, the Lenni Lenape, inhabited the area around present-day Longwood and beyond. During her lifetime, most of the Native American people in southeastern Pennsylvania left the area, moving farther west. She continued the itinerant ways of her people throughout her life, which brought her into contact with many settlers in the area. During her adulthood, she moved between the Longwood area and the area around Northbrook (about 5 miles north) where she had a cabin. The Northbrook location offered close access to the Brandywine River. She was wellknown for her knowledge of medicinal plants and for the baskets she created using grasses as the basis for her work. A few baskets attributed to her are at the Chester County Historical Society. During her senior years, she became infirm and was cared for by local settlers, mostly Quaker families including the
Webbs and the Peirces. In November 1800, she became too frail to be cared for by these neighbors and was moved to the Chester County Poor House located in nearby Embreeville as their very first resident. She died in 1802 and was the first to be interred there, buried under a large stone marker on the old state hospital grounds. Hers is the only named grave site; other residents are buried in unmarked graves in a pauper’s cemetery on the hospital property. Her people had mostly moved out of the area by the time of her death and she is considered the last member of the Lenni Lenape tribe who inhabited this area. Many of the local people who knew and assisted Hannah in her lifetime created memorial “graves” on their properties. In a manner befitting Victorian times, George Washington Peirce, great-greatgrandson of the original owner of the Longwood property, paid respect to Indian Hannah by fashioning a memorial grave in Peirce’s Park, marking it with a wooden cross. Longwood continues this tradition by maintaining a replica cross.
Legacy
A marker commemorating the birthplace of Indian Hannah was erected in 1925 along old West Chester Pike by the Chester County Historical Society and the Pennsylvania Historical Commission, in cooperation with Pierre S. du Pont. Photo courtesy of Hagley Museum and Library.
Photograph from 1925 Dedication Ceremony; Chief Strong Wolf and Miss Beulah E. Webb stand on either side of the stone marker.
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In 1925, Pierre du Pont, in cooperation with the Chester County Historical Society and the then Pennsylvania Historical Commission, memorialized her by placing a large stone marker on the old West Chester Road (Route 52). The completed relocation of Route 52 in October 2011 resulted in the marker’s original location becoming largely inaccessible to the public. Therefore, the marker was moved in early 2014 in conjunction with Chester County Historical Society and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The new location, at the former Longwood Meetinghouse at the intersection of Longwood Road and Greenwood Road, offers a more prominent, dignified, educational, and safe site for guests to view the marker. On May 15, 2014, Longwood hosted a Rededication Ceremony designed to be reminiscent of the original 1925 ceremony. Representatives from the same organizations as attended in 1925, as well as Webb Family descendants, joined together to rededicate the marker and once again honor the place of Indian Hannah in Chester County history.
Newspaper article from the Wilmington Every Evening; pictured left to right: Miss Beulah E. Webb, Pierre S. du Pont, a Boy Scout bugler, and Chief Strong Wolf.
Back of Dedication Ceremony program, showing the text of the inscription on the stone market.
Program from 1925 Dedication Ceremony. Event included “Invocation to the Great Spirit” by Indian Chief Strong Wolf, “Presentation of the Deed of Gift for the Site of the Marker” by Pierre S. du Pont, and “Unveiling of the Marker” by Miss Beulah E. Webb, eighth direct descendant of William Webb, upon whose land Indian Hannah was born.
The Rededication Ceremony of the Indian Hannah marker in its new location on the lawn of the Longwood Meetinghouse, held May 15, 2014. From left: Mr. Kenneth Vandegrift, son of Beulah E. Webb; Mr. Dennis Coker, Principal Chief of the Lenape Tribe of Delaware; Paul B. Redman, Director, Longwood Gardens; Harrison Warren, a Boy Scout from Troop 24 of Kennett Square, PA. Photo by Larry Albee.
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Features
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Topographical Map of Part of the Estate of “Longwood Farms� by Franklin and Company, 1926, Longwood Gardens Library & Archives. Specimen of Solidago juncea, collected from the Meadow at Longwood Gardens by D.G. Huttleston in August of 1974.
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Horticulture
A Mindful Meadow
Photographs by Carlos Alejandro
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Thoughtful intervention and new growth in 86 acres of open space. By Molly Prentiss
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“The newly expanded Meadow Garden at Longwood Gardens is a wonderful example of dynamic land conservation practices using native plants to create a beautiful natural environment. An exemplary model of land stewardship, the Meadow is an extraordinary asset to the community for its scenic value, the habitat it provides to our native wildlife, and for the opportunity it provides people to be inspired and engage with nature.” —Virginia A. Logan, Executive Director Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art
Poet Robert Duncan wrote: “Often I am permitted to return to a meadow / as if it were a given property of the mind / that certain bounds hold against chaos.” And isn’t it true, that when we think of a meadow we imagine a sort of mental serenity that does not quite exist anywhere else? We think of sun-drenched grasses, their golden backs bent against a constant, subtle breeze, or smatterings of wildflowers being visited by curious bees. We conjure butterflies and hummingbirds whose iridescent wings catch our eye like a sunset’s final flash. The most romantic of us might imagine lying down, staring at an enormous sky and eagerly following the occasional cloud. The meadows of our minds are presumably some version of a haven, some ‘hold against chaos’, a place where nature’s calm prevails, and we, the humans, can allow ourselves to be overtaken by it. In the Brandywine Valley of southeastern Pennsylvania, however, it is the meadows themselves prone to takeover. Surrounding woodlands, not to mention suburban housing developments, encroach easily on old-field meadows, eventually eclipsing the ecosystem depended on by meadowlarks and wildflower-lovers alike. In an effort to stave off this inevitable transition and further develop the habitat in the region, Longwood Gardens has embarked on a meadow mission: expand, develop and maintain their existing meadowland through careful intervention, expert horticulture, and the best possible practices of stewardship. The new Meadow Garden, as it’s now been coined, will open to the public on Friday, June 13, 2014. 14
The Meadow Garden has been no small feat. Since the project’s conception two years ago it has nearly doubled in size—imagine 86 acres of gorgeous grasses and open sky—and its infrastructure expanded considerably. Accessible trails, paths, bridges, and pavilions have been constructed, and the 1700s Webb Farmhouse has been restored to include an interpretive gallery and historical montages, paying homage to those who inhabited the land in the past. Perhaps most importantly, there will be what horticulture and natural lands experts call ‘subtle interventions’: tactics like planting, mowing, and regulating invasive species that will keep the Meadow Garden vibrant and thriving. “The unique element to this is that it is a managed garden,” says Director Paul B. Redman. “Once we get all the plants and seeds in, the natural community will grow, but the hand of man will definitely be involved. We will be editing and shaping and guiding the Meadow Garden’s development. It is a garden, but we also want it to be a work of art. It’s like being within an Andrew Wyeth painting.” How fitting for this region. Every great work of art, of course, is created with a combination of natural instinct and intelligent analysis—the same goes for this new Meadow Garden. “We’ve studied the existing ecology and plant material and then used those patterns to act as a guiding point,” says landscape architect Jonathan Alderson, who led the project and runs a noteworthy
Top row, far left: Fothergilla flower. Top row, far right: Violet flowers. Second row, far left: American beech. Second row, center: Fern foliage. Third row, far left: Sensitive fern unfurling fiddleheads. Third row, far right: Sensitive fern fronds. Bottow row, far left: Eastern redbud flowers. Bottom row, center: Arrowwood emerging foliage.
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Clockwise from top left: Artisans of the Anvil head blacksmith Andrew Molinaro holding one of the handforged L-shapes featured in the Meadow Garden gate design; View of Hawk Point, one of the Meadow pavilions designed by Jonathan Alderson featuring a design inspired by the vernacular of the Brandywine; Ceiling view of Interpretive display at Hawk Point; Longwood head carpenter Ken Stapleford, at work on a bench for the Meadow built from the wood of fallen Longwood trees; Local stone masons handcrafted the stacked stone walls and bridges appearing throughout the project; Plans for the Meadow Garden gate, at the workshop of Artisans of the Anvil located in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Photographs by Daniel Traub.
architectural design firm specializing in naturalized landscapes. “We have accentuated natural patterns with human intervention and plug planting. You might see a little splash of Joe-Pye weed in a natural meadow, but in this Meadow Garden you’ll see a greater stand of it. We’ve turned up the volume, we’ve added patches of color and spring-blooming plants that might not have popped up on their own. But the goal is to always do it subtly.” Alderson is part of an incredible team of mostly local talent—landscape architects, artisans, regional conservation organizations, designers, and many others—who have a hand in the expansion of this new Meadow Garden, each contributing their skills to create a space that is as intentional as it is inspiring. “It is about closely studying what was in the Meadow and managing that ground accordingly,” says Alderson. “It’s about tapping into the rustic local landscape, hiring craftspeople who know how to work with the local materials. Longwood is taking on regional significance as habitats get lost because of suburban development. This space becomes a kind of oasis, a habitat for everything from monarch butterflies to orchard orioles to native bees.” And the list goes on. There are indigo buntings and yellow warblers, rare orchids and endangered thistles, and a multitude of moths. There are hummingbirds and several species of sparrows, and, of course, the hope to attract meadowlarks, which require large open fields in order to nest. “In summer there are black-eyed Susans and goldenrods splashed throughout this Meadow Garden,” says Alderson. “But the bones of it are warm season grasses, like switch grass, and bluestem.” Just
“I admire Longwood for their foresight with this project and predict that this revitalized meadow will become a favorite destination for those seeking the peace and hope that comes from connecting with the natural world.” —Douglas W. Tallamy, University of Delaware
hearing the names of the meadow’s flora and fauna brings back that initial calming fantasy: rolling grass in late summer, when the meadow is at its prime. Behind the Meadow Garden endeavor lies the foundational idea that permeates all projects at Longwood: tactful preservation of existing harmony and beauty. You can see it in our beginnings—Pierre S. du Pont bought the land to save its trees—and you can see it all through the grounds, in the meticulous restoration of the magisterial 10,010-pipe organ, in the planting and nurturing of rare and not-sorare flora, and in the persistent development of education endeavors. The rigor that goes into this preservation is admirable and not often found in today’s quickly developing world, where speed often takes precedence over focus or clarity of purpose. We should look to the Meadow Garden as a reminder that these things are paramount, and as a metaphor for a much larger project: the vast field of our planet, which will not thrive unless we give it proper— and I would venture to say artful—attention. While the thrill of the Meadow Garden’s opening has taken center stage, the people, their processes, and hard work will remain constant to keep it thriving. “I don’t know if the Meadow Garden will ever be complete, it will evolve, it will always change,” says Redman. “And isn’t that the life of a gardener? Nothing ever happens overnight. The great thing about being a horticulturist or a gardener is that you always have a vision for how it will look and feel, and you’re always looking forward. But it’s never a straight line to get there. And no garden is ever truly done.” 17
“The new Meadow Garden entices visitors on a journey of discovery through a richly layered landscape that is both beautiful and functional—supporting a wide array of local wildlife while offering an unparalleled garden experience. Exquisitely choreographed paths make the most of the gently rolling topography, presenting some of the most powerful vistas in the region while blending history, horticulture, and authentic regional habitats… The whole ensemble celebrates landscapes and habitats emblematic of southeastern Pennsylvania while setting them within the larger context of Longwood’s diverse global gardens.” —Rick Darke, President Rick Darke LLC
Meadow Garden by the numbers: 100,000 wildflower and grass landscape plugs planted 1,100 native trees and shrubs planted 110 new or augmented plant species 86 total acres 45 companies, contractors, and artisans 12 months of construction 5 bridges and boardwalks 3 miles of trails 2 entrances 1 selectively restored Webb Farmhouse
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Liatris spicata, blazing-star, in mid-summer bloom, is a magnet for pollinators. Photograph by Daniel Traub.
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Legacy
Field Notes Considering its dependency on humans to thrive, the Meadow has been inhabited, shaped, advanced, and tended to by many for hundreds of years. The peaceful, grassy expanse was inhabited by the Lenni Lenape Indians (hint: they were already engaging in meadow preservation tactics; they burned it periodically to encourage game to feed there), cleared for farming and wood use, then greatly impacted by industrialization at the turn of the century. But it was in the early 1970s, as the environmental movement took hold, that the Meadow began to take shape as an ecological project. Longwood Gardens’ director at the time, Russell Seibert, took on the project with the intent of reestablishing the natural ecosystem through the lowering of carbon emissions, minimal mowing, and select plantings. Working with Dr. Robert Armstrong, a tropical plants specialist with an interest in native meadows, and Sir Peter Shepheard, who helped build the trail system, Seibert succeeded in creating an area that was both ecologically vibrant and visually stunning. “They called it a cloud effect,” says current Natural Land Steward Tom Brightman. “When you looked down on it from a height, it looked like little clouds of meadow areas within the larger space.” New developments occurred in the early 80s, when teams from Longwood, including Paul Dawson (who recently retired after 40 years), John Clark, B. Groves, Dave Nilan, Henry Schweibenz and Ed Weaver, with help from the Professional Gardener and International Students, planted a buffer of about 19,000 native trees on the north edge of the Meadow. The small woodland included tulip poplar, red and sugar maple, and white oak among other species. In the Summer 1981 issue of the Chimes, a description of the planting project 20
The history and community behind Longwood’s Meadow Garden. By Molly Prentiss
noted that “perhaps twenty years from now, the Chimes will have a front page picture of the actual woods as it will be.” Indeed, that woods “transformed the way the Meadow sits in the landscape,” says Brightman, turning it into “more of a sequestered and quiet place.” The most recent evolution of the Meadow debuting this summer represents the perfect combination: a thoughtful plan (in this case a 40-year site master plan that is guiding all aspects of the Gardens as they evolve), a visionary Board of Trustees and Director, expert staff, and partnerships with leading landscape architects West 8 and Jonathan Alderson Landscape Architects. By enlarging the new Meadow Garden to
86 acres, expanding its interpretation and infrastructure, Longwood hopes to provide an enriching and enlightening experience for guests that reflects the history, heritage, beauty, variety, and stewardship that exists on this land. Providing a deep sense of place, the Webb Farmhouse & Galleries, originally called the Webb House, beckons guests. It’s one of the oldest structures on our property dating back to the mid1700s, and has been lovingly restored by respected architect John Milner. Filled with insightful exhibits that illuminate the Meadow’s past and its constant change, the Webb Farmhouse & Galleries stitches together the story of history, community, and the beauty of nature.
Longwood dairy farm with Webb Barn at top of hill, and our founder Pierre S. du Pont’s herd of Guernsey cows on hillside, photographed in 1932. Photo by Strohmeyer & Carpenter. Photo courtesy of Hagley Museum and Library.
“They called it a cloud effect. When you looked down on it from a height, it looked like little clouds of meadow areas within the larger space.”
Sir Peter Shepheard (right) was responsible for the phasing out of the wildflower garden and the development of the Managed Meadow and its paths, in addition to consulting on many other Longwood projects. Shown here with William Frederick, Chair of the Landscape Subcommittee of the Longwood Gardens Board of Trustees. Photo taken early 1980s.
Infrared photograph of Hourglass Lake, September 1959. Photo by Gottlieb Hampfler.
Outdoor Division workers from Longwood’s Horticulture Department, who removed over four and one-half acres of black plastic, which had been used as a weed prevention method during the 1981–1982 planting of the woods screen at the north edge of the Managed Meadow. It was determined that the plastic had created a very shallow root system on many of the trees and was preventing the build up of any nutritious underlayer for further root development. From left: Charles Carter, Dave Thompson, Warren Devonshire, George Knightley, Eugene Fragale, Dave Nilan, Ferrell Pierson, and Dick Reinhardt. Photo by Larry Albee.
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The Arts
Famed photographer Rodney Smith describes himself as a “landscape photographer who puts people in landscapes.” Fortunately for Longwood, Smith has chosen to put people in our landscapes four times—first in 1997 and most recently in 2013. His images are our entrée into a world that only such a talent could conjure, and the results are unforgettable. In the pages that follow, we showcase a few of Smith’s favorite images captured in the formal grandeur of our Topiary Garden, and we hear from the photographer what it is about gardens that intrigue, invigorate, and inspire him.
Words and photographs by Rodney Smith
Hedge Fun 22
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“This picture was originally shot while I was doing a story on hedge funds. I don’t think it was ever used, but has remained one of my favorites from that shoot. The question that has intrigued me over the years is, ‘What is it about this picture that resonates with me?’ Often, I can tell you quite quickly and deliberately what it is about a picture that I like or dislike, but this one alluded me for some time. Therein lies its strength. I think that the quality of its peculiarity, its slightly unfamiliar composition, is truly the heart of the matter. Like a great portrait (the master of them all being Leonardo’s Mona Lisa), there is no resolution. It remains enigmatic, drawing you in continually, but raising more questions than it resolves. …And that is why I like this photograph.”
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“A great photograph must never answer all the questions, otherwise you would never be drawn back to it. It must continually remain unresolved. It must draw you back. You may want to know the circumstances, but the question remains: Will you ever understand it completely?�
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“What is the story that underlies the places I choose to make my pictures? I am attracted to landscapes where the hand of man is evident but not in an urban presence. Usually, I am attracted to an agrarian landscape or garden that has been tilled for centuries by farm workers whose voice has been one of caretaker rather than overtaker. Also, I am not a wilderness person. In fact, I am far from it. I do not like large mountains, deserts or places where the presence of man is not subscribed. I never like to feel thirsty. The earth, the landscape must feel abundant and furtive. I was never able to find the magical light of the high desert or the majesty of the mountains as inspiring to me as a well-tended landscape or garden. Since I was a young boy I worked in gardens. It was one of the few activities my father and I did together when I was very young, and even in high school, I worked one summer with our gardener putting in a sprinkler system. The one thing I also remember was how unimpressed I was by most gardens. They were all perennial or annual gardens, placed for color and shape, but had no architecture or design. . . Most American gardens on a small scale had no visual interest to me. As I would find myself scouting locations in France, England, and Ireland in particular, I was more and more attracted to the formal gardens of Europe. So what is it that I love about these gardens? I love the repetition of shape that goes on forever, the allées of trees that have been pollarded to the form of shrubs, the rooms within rooms, the whimsical shapes of the topiaries and the grand scale of the plantings. There is also the visual sight of greens being imbued with more green, layer upon layer. This is more than planting a few perennials in a garden. It is an elaborate landscape design, playing not on color but on shape and form, and I have always felt right at home standing there right in the midst of it all. My pictures for the last 20 years are instilled with these spaces. These are rooms and spaces where I would hold out my hands, look upward, and yell hallelujah. Not to what God has single highhandedly produced, but rather to what man can aspire when he’s at his best.”
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2030Longwood Chimes
The Arts
A Century of Song and Dance Under the Stars The Open Air Theatre celebrates 100 years of arts in 2014. A fond look back. By Colvin Randall
Illustrations by Rebecca Clarke
One of the most charming garden entertainment venues to be found anywhere is celebrating a major birthday this year. Longwood’s Open Air Theatre will turn 100 on June 24, 2014. Over the past century, thousands of performers have gratified hundreds of thousands of audience-goers. Music, drama, and dance—plus a great deal more—have been enjoyed outdoors under the sun and under the stars. The totals are impressive: about 1,500 performances in 100 years, much more than founder Pierre du Pont would ever have imagined. Mr. du Pont delighted in the performing arts. He played with a toy theatre as a child (designed by boyhood chum Maxfield Parrish, who grew up to become the celebrated painter) and in college attended performances whenever possible. In 1913 he helped establish the professional DuPont Theatre, still thriving today in the Hotel du Pont in Wilmington. Pierre du Pont bought Longwood in 1906 to save its historic trees, but he also wanted to make it a place where he could entertain his friends. This he did with an annual Garden Party, which he hosted along with Mrs. du Pont. Outdoor garden theatres were popular in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. The du Ponts visited one at the Villa Gori near Siena, Italy, in 1913 and decided to build a larger version at Longwood after tearing down an old barn on the site. The Open Air Theatre’s debut with a dance spectacular at the 1914 Garden Party was a resounding success. Three hundred guests dined around small tables on the then-flat auditorium lawn following which the newspaper noted: “Just after dark electric lights were turned on, simultaneously illuminating the stage in front and sides, and a spot light discovered four couples descending from the terrace above the stage to the classic strains of Beethoven’s music. The dance was performed on the stage and its gorgeous costuming and
finely executed, dignified figures elicited hearty applause.” After half a dozen quaint numbers came the climax: “The finale was a frolic by the harlequins, who, much to the surprise of the guests, danced among them, throwing confetti and garden roses, then winding their way out in a path of light, finally disappearing amid the trees. The audience might easily have imagined itself transported to the day of Marie Antoinette and the scene Versailles, with the wonderful setting of theatre, lights, dancers and nature.” Two weeks later, Mr. du Pont began installing simple fountains into the stage. He was inspired by the secret joke fountains in Italian gardens, the giochi d’acqua, which were hidden in the pavement and would spring to life unexpectedly to douse unsuspecting visitors at the owner’s pleasure. Longwood’s jets were controlled by foot pedals in front of the stage. On hot afternoons, Mr. du Pont’s older nephews would jump on these valves while the younger cousins would dart around to get soaked by the fountains. The jets were first incorporated into a Garden Party performance in 1915 danced by the Florence Noyes School of Rhythmic Expression, aesthetic dancers jokingly termed “anesthetic dancers” by Mr. du Pont. In 1926 to 1927 underground dressing rooms were built, the seating area was sloped, and the fountains were greatly expanded to 750 jets recirculating 2,000 gallons a minute and colorized with 600 lights. A water curtain was added to completely hide the performers from the audience. The reimagined Open Air Theatre was now one of the most unique theatre/ fountain gardens in the world, as novel as anything to be found at Versailles. Several hundred performances took place under Pierre du Pont’s sponsorship until 1954, usually to raise funds for charity. Longwood’s Theatre is larger than it looks, originally seating 2,100 and now more 31
Clockwise from far left: Open Air Theatre at the Villa Gori, Sienna, Italy, by Maxfield Parrish for Edith Warton’s book Italian Villas and Their Gardens. Margaretta Carpenter, Pierre du Pont, and Alice Belin at Villa Gori, February 1913. Water ballet rehearsal for the 1915 Garden Party. Marine Band Concert, 1955. Eugene DiOrio photograph. Gift of Eugene L. DiOrio.
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Music, drama, and dance—plus a great deal more—have been enjoyed outdoors under the sun and under the stars. The totals are impressive: about 1,500 performances in 100 years, much more than founder Pierre du Pont would ever have imagined.
Clockwise from top left: American Ballet Theatre at Longwood performing Les Sylphides, 1962. The Pirates of Penzance performed in 1940 at Longwood by The Brandywiners, LTD. Dancers recreating in 1995 a Doris Humphrey ballet. The Theatre central tower photographed from the former Terrace Garden (today the Theatre Garden), 1972. Photo by Gottlieb Hampfler.
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comfortably accommodating 1,500 by respacing the chairs, but sound amplification was minimal during the earliest years. In 1930 Mr. du Pont noted that “our theatre is not good for speaking; in fact, the spectacular is about all we can produce successfully.” Most performances during his lifetime were just that—dance, musical theatre, and concerts. Eventually plays were presented. Today, modern amplification and lighting permit almost any type of production. Dance figured prominently during the Teens and Twenties with such iconic performers as Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Doris Humphrey, and Martha Graham, assisted by numerous ensemble dancers. One of the Denishawn dancers was Jane Sherman, who wrote in her autobiography Soaring (1976), “There was tremendous excitement in class one summer [1925] when some of us were asked to augment the regular company for a special performance at one of the du Pont estates. We went to Wilmington by train, where we were met by cars and driven to the most magnificent open-air theatre one could imagine. Set on a lawn of jade velvet, with conifers and yews forming backdrop and wings, it was completely equipped with lights, a sunken 34
orchestra pit, and rows of chairs for the invited audience….there were hundreds of guests. While they gathered for cocktails under the setting sun, Miss Ruth, Mr. Shawn, Doris, Charles [Weidman] and the rest of us were led to our table in the greenhouse for an early dinner. At least two stories high, banked with bright, fragrant, exotic trees and hanging plants, the enormous space was filled with long tables covered with centerpieces of flowers and decked with crystal and silver. I well remember that Miss Ruth and Ted did not find it at all amusing to be placed at a plain table next to the swinging doors of the kitchen. Our hired presence was carefully screened from the sensitive eyes of the guests when they entered to take their seats.” New York impresario John Murray Anderson performed in 1916 and later produced four dance spectaculars (1926, 1927, twice in 1928) at Longwood. He wrote in his 1954 memoir Out Without My Rubbers, “Mr. Pierre S. du Pont was one of the most charming and unaffected men I ever met…. There were no private parties quite so wonderful as Mr. du Pont’s. He engaged a large company of players, and usually an orchestra of almost symphonic size and quality. Everyone, from the stars to the
electricians, was Mr. du Pont’s guest at the hotel in Wilmington…. The “party” would usually be for perhaps eight hundred guests, and before the entertainment they would all be served dinner in the huge Conservatory, which seemed almost to equal the Crystal Palace in size. The entertainments themselves were of the more serious or classical kind. Martha Graham was one of his favorite performers and my ‘Nightingale and the Rose’ appealed to him very much, done as it was to perfection in the open on a starlit summer night.” In 1938 the Mary Binney Montgomery Ballet staged an entertainment in the presence of the Queen of Sweden and her son Prince Bertil, in honor of the 300th anniversary of the Swedish landing in Wilmington. It rained that night so very few guests ventured over from the Conservatory to join the royal party seated in the rear tower, but the evening ended with a water ballet with dancers silhouetted against the lit fountains. In the 1960s, American Ballet Theatre and the Pennsylvania Ballet had their turns at starry-roofed performances. In more recent times, the Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Paul Taylor 2, the Brandywine Ballet, the Arthur Hall Afro-American Dance
“Only one mishap occurred. During a [1926] performance the star dancer, Carlos Petersen, was executing some terrific spins on one foot when a loose Russian boot flew off the other into the audience, hitting a Du Pont dowager in the stomach. With the speed and adroitness of an allAmerican, the old lady let him have it back, hitting him in the rear end and causing him to collapse in ignominy on the stage, greatly to the delight of the audience…” —John Murray Anderson, from Out Without My Rubbers.
Ensemble, and numerous ethnic dance and acrobatic groups have enlivened the stage with both grace and daredevil excitement. The stage was tiled for many years, a slippery, challenging surface for any dancer. For the past several decades a special dance floor has improved traction. Still, dancing among shrubbery has its hazards: some years ago a danseur noble carrying the prima ballerina missed the exit and rammed her into the arborvitae wings. He had to step back to pull her out, then re-aim a few feet to one side, all while her legs were flailing. Fortunately the wings were not holly! Musical theatre has been a mainstay in this venue. The Savoy Company from Philadelphia was the first theatrical company to perform here in June 1916 with the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, Patience. They returned in 1923 with the Pirates of Penzance and have since mounted 88 G&S productions, except in 1927 and during World War II. Mr. du Pont would always provide a Longwood supper for the cast as well as sandwiches on the train back to Philadelphia. In total Savoy has given nearly 150 performances in the Gardens. Another annual tradition began in 1932 when, after returning from an operetta, Frances Tatnall boasted that she and some
of her friends could produce a better show than the one they had just seen. She enlisted the help of William Winder (Chick) Laird, Mr. du Pont’s nephew, as stage director and Frederick W. Wyatt, a prominent local conductor and vocal teacher, to direct a hastily assembled cast in The Pirates of Penzance. It was performed at Longwood, and the group known as The Brandywiners was invited back every year, except during the war. Older members recall the warm enthusiasm of Pierre du Pont, who on at least one occasion helped build scenery. Chick Laird recalled his uncle’s unforgettable, dry humor: “At rehearsals he would frequently come to the theatre and have large baskets of fresh peaches brought for the actors to enjoy. Once, he called the group together to ask that they not throw the pits from the peaches into the shrubbery. He had a passionate dislike for littering. That same night, one of the performers dropped the peach pit onto the stones at the entry to one of the wings. When this lad reached home that night, he found the peach pit in his jacket pocket neatly wrapped in a linen handkerchief monogrammed P S du P. No one ever found out what sleight of hand was used to get that pit into that handkerchief and into that pocket. Needless to say, the handkerchief was 35
Clockwise from left: The Mikado (1941), Iolanthe (1937), and Ruddigore (1951) performed by the Savoy Company in the Open Air Theatre at Longwood Gardens. Brigadoon (1954) and The Pirates of Penzance (1940) performed by The Brandywiners.
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Musical theatre has been a mainstay in this venue. The Savoy Company from Philadelphia was the first theatrical company to perform here in June 1916 with the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, Patience. They returned in 1923 with the Pirates of Penzance and have since mounted 88 G&S productions…
carefully laundered by the offender’s mother and returned to its owner with profuse apologies.” The Brandywiners’ 2014 production of Annie is their 80th at Longwood, most of which have been well-known Broadway shows. Since 1932 they have performed about 500 times here (including previews). From 1930 to 1959 (except 1942–1945, 1957) the local William W. Fahey Post of the American Legion performed 25 grand historical pageants and musicals on the outdoor stage totaling about 90 performances. The tradition was revived in 1976 with a Kennett Merchants Association repeat production of Bayard Taylor’s The Story of Kennett. Grand opera has occasionally upstaged operetta. Carmen was presented in 1949, Aida in 1950, Madame Butterfly in 1951, and The Barber of Seville in 1957. The Opera Company of Philadelphia arrived in 1979 with The Marriage of Figaro and performed The Barber of Seville in 1980. Shakespeare was first presented in 1933 with two performances of The Taming of the Shrew by the Wilmington Players. Seventeen productions and 37 performances of his plays were performed annually from 1960 through 1976 by The Lyceum Players, a Wilmington-based theatre group. Among the most unusual events on the stage were the Miss Pennsylvania Pageants for two nights each in 1956 and 1957. Also in 1956 the local Kennett High School used the Theatre for its graduation ceremonies after a fire damaged the school auditorium. But concerts have been the main offerings over the years, especially in recent decades. Mr. du Pont liked military bands, but in the early years the most important concerts were held in the Conservatory for fear of rain. John Philip Sousa and his Band were a favorite and gave 14 performances over seven years, but all were indoors except for an evening concert in 1928 held in the
Theatre. The United States Marine Band first performed indoors in 1922, and outdoors occasionally starting in 1928. In 1951, two Theatre concerts a year by the Marines became the norm and continued through 1986 (excluding 1975). An extraordinary classical highlight was a stage performance by The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy in 1941. Mr. du Pont repeatedly hosted outdoor concerts by the DuPont Chorus, DuPont Band, and the Orpheus Club. These continued after his death in 1954, to which were added many performances by the Coatesville Choraliers, but it was not until 1981 that the performance scope greatly expanded with concerts before each Main Fountain display several nights a week. Every imaginable type of performance has been scheduled, from classical to pop, folk to world, jazz to rock. The Kennett Symphony of Chester County has been a regular since 1986, with up to three performances a summer. In 2000, the Kiev Symphony Orchestra and Chorus appeared, and in 2012 the Baltimore Symphony concertized. Mr. and Mrs. du Pont adored their many nieces and nephews, but entertainment for children was limited to the annual indoor Christmas parties for employee families. No doubt the Theatre’s military bands and some American Legion pageants excited younger audience members, but only beginning in 1984 were performances targeted especially to kids and families with artists such as Kevin Roth, the Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats, Trout Fishing in America, and, especially, the Missoula Children’s Theatre with week-long training for young actors who then performed on the stage before enthusiastic audiences. In 2008, the overall emphasis shifted to more big-name musical acts, beginning with Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi. Since then Amy Grant, The Bacon Brothers, BB King, The Beach Boys, Boz Scaggs, Bruce Hornsby,
Buddy Guy, Chris Isaak, Eileen Ivers, Gipsy Kings, Indigo Girls, Joan Armatrading, Keb’ Mo’, Lyle Lovett, Manhattan Transfer, Michael McDonald, Pat Benatar, Pat Metheny Unity Band, Peter Yarrow & Noel Paul Stookey, Pink Martini, Rufus Wainwright, Shemekia Copeland, Straight No Chaser, Tony Bennett, and Vince Gill have brought their worldclass talent to the Longwood stage. This year welcomes Patti LuPone, Roseanne Cash, and Wynton Marsalis, among others. How many guests have enjoyed some type of entertainment in this unique garden theatre? Attendance statistics are incomplete, but it is within reason to suggest a seated audience of between one to two million. Many millions more have seen the Theatre fountains during the day and, especially, after dark at Christmas. Certainly Pierre du Pont would be delighted that his lifelong interest in “the garden as theatre” has given so much pleasure to so many people.
A bronze plaque was presented to Pierre S. du Pont by the Savoy Company in 1948. This plaque was installed on the west side of the Open Air Theatre. The inscription reads “E vocibus multis una” (translation: From many voices, one).
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Horticulture
A Core Collection: Nymphaea Photographs by Daniel Traub
Longwood’s history with growing and displaying Nymphaea dates back to 1957. A review of its development, management, and display.
Our history with growing and displaying Nymphaea dates back to 1957 with Patrick Nutt as a major influence in the development of our outdoor water gardens. Nutt has spent half a century making Longwood Gardens one of the most respected names in the botanical world with his research on hybridizing waterlilies. He is also a founding member of the International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society. Tim Jennings, an understudy and friend of Nutt’s, is now curator of the collection and is responsible for its care. Nationally recognized as an expert in the field, Jennings is known for his teachings on Nymphaea as well as his contributions to industry publications like The American Garden Guides: Water Gardening. The Nymphaea collection is one of our core collections, receiving special focus on its development, management, and display in the Gardens. More than 18,000 square feet of display pools are used to grow Nymphaea between the months of April through November. The collection holds over 1,200 individual plants with nearly 100 different taxa and joined the ranks of the North
George Pring (left), waterlily expert and father-in-law of first director Russell Seibert, advises Patrick Nutt in the Lily House, May 1957. Photo by Gottlieb Hampfler.
View of the Waterlily Display, circa 1971. Photo by Gottlieb Hampfler.
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Nymphaea ‘Catherine Marie’, tropical night-flowering waterlily.
American Plant Collections Consortium (NAPCC) collection in October 2012. NAPCC accreditation elevates this collection which will now focus on preserving historic waterlily varieties and serve as a reference for plant identification. The records of this collection are maintained in a database, BGBASE, and in original archival paper records. They are also partially accessible through Longwood’s online public access plant information database, Plant Explorer, which can be found on longwoodgardens.org. We make every effort to grow only the highest quality Nymphaea and strive to keep improving through research. The current objective is to determine the effect of various physical and chemical properties of the growing medium on leaf and flower production of Nymphaea. While research is critical to this collection’s viability, Jennings’ real objective as curator of the collection is quite simple, “It’s about getting as many people interested and intrigued by these natural wonders as we can. The sheer beauty and intense complexity of these plants makes me smile every day.”
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“It’s about getting as many people interested and intrigued by these natural wonders as we can. The sheer beauty and intense complexity of these plants makes me smile every day.”
Left: Nymphaea gigantea ’Blue Cloud’, tropical dayflowering waterlily, blooms above the still black water of the Waterlily Display in the Conservatory Courtyard. Longwood Volunteer Ann Rosen—who celebrated her 20-year anniversary as a Longwood volunteer in 2014—at work on the Waterlily Display.
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End Notes
The Naturalist’s Desk
A collection of items, many from the Longwood Gardens Library & Archives, relevant to the inspiration, concept, and creation of the Meadow Garden. Some of the artifacts featured are on display in the exhibit at the Webb Farmhouse & Galleries. Included here are: Contour map of area around Hourglass Lake; Photograph of children on bridge in Meadow, July 1978; The Nature Library: Wild Flowers by Neltje Blanchan, 1904, and Flowers of Field, Hill, and Swamp by Caroline A. Creevey, 1897; The Book of Wild Flowers by the National Geographic Society, 1924; Iron hook, originally used on the Longwood Farm, early 20th century; Bluebird house, originally used in Longwood’s Meadow; Iron plow share, originally used on the Peirce farm, 19th century; Topographical Map of Part of the Estate of “Longwood Farms” by Franklin and Company, 1926; Milk can, originally used in the Longwood Farm dairy, circa 1920s; Specimen of Asclepias incarnata, collected by Dr. Donald Huttleston, July 2, 1975, from Wildflower Area of the Meadow at Longwood Gardens for Longwood’s herbarium; Infrared photograph of Hourglass Lake by Gottlieb Hampfler, September 1959. Photograph by Daniel Traub.
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“There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot. These essays are the delights and dilemmas of one who cannot. Like winds and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them. Now we face the question whether a still higher ‘standard of living’ is worth its cost in things natural, wild and free. For us of the minority, the opportunity to see geese is more important than television, and the chance to find a pasque-flower is a right as inalienable as free speech. These wild things, I admit, had little human value until mechanization assured us of a good breakfast, and until science disclosed the drama of where they came from and how they live. The whole conflict thus boils down to a question of degree. We of the minority see a law of diminishing returns in progress; our opponents do not.” —Aldo Leopold, forward to A Sand County Almanac, 1949
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Longwood Chimes
No. 289 Summer 2014
Front Cover The Iris versicolor on the cover is an image of a herbarium specimen from Longwood’s collection. The specimen was collected from the Meadow last spring by Ellen Bortner, Research Specialist, and Mashudu Nndanduleni, an international student from South Africa. This specimen, along with other plant specimens representative of the seasonal changes in the Meadow at Longwood, is included in the Meadow Garden Interpretive Exhibit at the Webb Farmhouse & Galleries. Inside Covers Planting plan for wild flower garden at Hourglass Lake, c. 1970. Map lists existing and proposed trees and shrubs, as well as proposed sweeps of meadow, aquatic, and sylvan wild flowers. The Naturalist’s Desk Creating the set for the Naturalist’s Desk photoshoot (see pages 2–3, 10–11, and 43) involved the assistance and expertise of many Longwood staff members. Special thanks to: Ellen Bortner for the archival herbarium specimens; Tom Brightman for the vintage birdhouse; Morgan Cichewicz for photoshoot styling assistance; Gillian Hayward for sourcing vintage field guides and related publications; Maureen McCadden for photographic props, and for lending her vintage edition of A Sand County Almanac; Judy Stevenson for archival research and props; Sandy Reber for archival research and props; and Joyce Rondinella for the generous use of her workbench in the Potting Shed area of the Conservatory.
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Editorial Board Marnie Conley Patricia Evans Steve Fenton Julie Landgrebe Colvin Randall David Sleasman James S. Sutton Matt Taylor, Ph.D. Aimee Theriault Brian W. Trader, Ph.D.
Contributors This Issue Longwood Staff and Volunteer Contributors Kristina Aguilar Plant Records Manager Ellen Bortner Research Specialist Tom Brightman Land Steward Douglas Needham, Ph.D. Education Department Head Abigail Palutis Marketing Communications Coordinator Sandy Reber Archives and Research Assistant Judy Stevenson Archivist David Ward Volunteer Photographer Other Contributors Larry Albee Photographer Carlos Alejandro Photographer Rebecca Clarke Illustrator Molly Prentiss Writer Daniel Traub Photographer
Distribution Longwood Chimes is mailed to Longwood Gardens Staff, Pensioners, Volunteers, and Chimes Tower Level Members and available electronically to all Longwood Gardens Members via longwoodgardens.org. Longwood Chimes is produced twice annually by and for Longwood Gardens, Inc.
Contact As we went to print, every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of all information contained within this publication. Contact us at chimes@longwoodgardens.org. © 2014 Longwood Gardens. All rights reserved.
“It has been a great pleasure to note the number of visitors to Longwood who comment not only on the beauty of the place and its surroundings, but on the character of the men who accomplish such good results in its maintenance and care.” —Pierre S. du Pont, 1923
Longwood Gardens is the living legacy of Pierre S. du Pont, inspiring people through excellence in garden design, horticulture, education, and the arts.
Longwood Gardens P.O. Box 501 Kennett Square, PA 19348 longwoodgardens.org