Timeless Splendor

With its sprawling grounds and awe-inspiring fountains, Longwood Gardens has been drawing nature lovers for generations.

By Anne Kim-Dannibale

The Fountain Terrace in 2017

The Water Lily display in July 2013 (above) and in July 1957 (below)

Philadelphia is often called America’s garden capital and for good reason. Within 30 miles of the city, fans of horticulture have no less than 30 public green spaces, plus arboreta and historic landscapes to explore. The state’s horticultural society—one of the country’s most active—is based in the City of Brotherly Love and produces a wildly popular annual flower show. Naturally, one of the most impressive gardens in the United States is found right here. Longwood Gardens had its beginnings in 1700, when a Quaker named George Peirce purchased 402 acres, once the home of the Lenni Lenape tribe, from city founder William Penn’s commissioners. But it wasn’t until 1907 that Longwood really got going. Under new owner Pierre du Pont—a passionate gardener—Longwood grew into a showpiece of more than 1,000 acres. Since it opened to the public in 1946, the garden has hosted generations of visitors who have strolled through the impeccably maintained grounds, taking in nature’s splendor year round.

The Main Fountain Garden, Upper Canal in 1934 (above) and in 2017 (below)

More than 11,000 plant types thrive in areas like Peirce’s Woods, where ornamental specimens fill outdoor “rooms” over seven acres. In the Hillside Garden, colorful flowers line a walkway revealing the Chimes Tower and waterfall, while the Silver Garden shelters metalhued plants found in desert landscapes. Throughout the year, special events and exhibitions gild the lily. In winter, delicate orchids drape over seemingly every surface of the 1921 glass Conservatory, while fall brings thousands of chrysanthemums neatly trained into orbs and spirals. At Christmas, crowds from across the country flock to the Chester County spot to take in one of the most spectacular holiday showstoppers, featuring seasonal decorations, a multitude of trees with all the trimmings and 400,000 lights. From May to October, when the sun dips down, visitors gather in the Main Fountain Garden to watch a dancing fountain show that rivals anything in Las Vegas. Here, 1,719 renovated jets shoot water as high as 175 feet in the air, choreographed to music from classical to rock.