Famous for its dazzling Christmas displays, Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia has exciting holiday surprises for visitors this season that include the opening of its stunning new West Conservatory. The multi-year Longwood Reimagined project, begun in 2021, also added a new glasshouse for the reinstallation of Roberto Burle Marx’s tropical Cascade Garden, an expanded Orchid House, an outdoor bonsai display area, and an administrative and educational building. The project expanded Longwood’s conservatory area by 17 acres and opened new vistas of the gardens and landscape. There’s more to see than ever, both during the day and, over the holidays, at night, a magical time when trees glow with colorful lights.
Nestled in Pennsylvania’s Brandywine Valley, Longwood began as the estate of Pierre S. du Pont in 1906 and now, as a public garden, encompasses 1,100 acres (Side of Culture covered it several years ago). The grounds and world-famous horticultural displays are inspiring year-round, and for A Longwood Christmas (November 22, 2024 through January 12, 2025), Longwood brightens the darkness of winter with some of its most creative seasonal displays and half a million lights, both in its conservatories and around the grounds. Some 600,000 people visited during A Longwood Christmas in 2023, so visitors should book a timed ticket in advance. Here’s a look at Longwood’s new features and a few holiday displays.
What’s New at Longwood
The centerpiece of Longwood Reimagined, the 32,000-square-foot West Conservatory opened on November 22 and presents global Mediterranean-type landscapes set amid low fountains and pools. Brick terraces provide seating, and “islands” feature plants from six ecozones such as central Chile and South Africa’s Cape region. On display are iconic plants such as agaves and aloes, while acacias, tall cypresses, and Bismarck palms frame different garden areas. The thoroughly modern glasshouse, designed by Weiss/Manfredi and with Reed Hilderbrand as the landscape architect, has asymmetrical peaks and seems to float on the pool of water that surrounds it. Sustainability was a key priority, including 128 geothermal wells that help provide heating and cooling. Overall, the new building reflects Longwood’s deep commitment to horticulture and innovation.
The Cascade Garden by renowned Brazilian modernist landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx (1909–1994) opened at Longwood in 1992, and today it is Burle Marx’s only surviving design in North America. It occupies a new, 3,800-square-foot glasshouse and recreates more precisely the waterfalls, pools, and vertical rock walls that Burle Marx designed. The lush garden overflows with plants found in a tropical rain forest, such as bromeliads, philodendrons, and palms. In recognition of the garden’s importance, preservationists were consulted throughout the glasshouse’s creation. One information panel has a wonderful 1962 quote from Burle Marx: “The garden is, it must be, an integral part of civilized life: a deeply felt, deeply rooted, spiritual, and emotional necessity.”
The 12,500-square-foot outdoor Bonsai Courtyard next to the West Conservatory creates an exquisite setting for examples of the Japanese art. The sleek minimalist space has distinct areas defined by hornbeam hedges and wood and cast-stone walls. Longwood’s bonsai collection started in 1959 and received a transformative gift of more than 50 specimens in 2022 from the outstanding Kennett Collection. Despite the winter chill, many people enjoy strolling and studying the bonsai, some of which are over a century old. In spring, cherry trees will further enhance the atmosphere.
A Longwood Christmas, Outdoors and Inside
Seeing Longwood outdoors and in its buildings during the holidays offers experiences as different as, well, day and night, but a visit anytime is spectacular. For many people, an evening stroll to see illuminated buildings, trees, and pathways is an annual tradition, from the Main Fountain Garden and Conservatory District in the west to the Lakes District in the east. Hanging stars and blue lights adorn London plane trees by the West Conservatory, and a 200-foot-long pathway with a tunnel of lights brightens the way to the Main Fountain Garden. The lights come on gradually during the day, starting as early as 10 am. Day and night, an adorable Garden Railway chugs through a landscape with miniature Longwood landmarks. Themed Christmas trees around the grounds, from a Wildlife Tree (decorated with birdseed) to a Gardener’s Tree, attract people anytime. Fountain Shows in the Open-Air Theatre and a Beer Garden are other festive features.
Longwood’s sprawling conservatories and other buildings provide a warm refuge from the chill outside, day or night. The leafy and luxuriant East Conservatory is decorated to resemble a snow globe, with evergreens seemingly dusted with snow, and the Music Room (with recorded and live organ performances) has been transformed with towering, decorated trees and a banquet table of faux treats. In the exuberant Main Conservatory, poinsettias and flowering plants border the brilliant green lawn, above which hang Christmas trees. Six trees decorated in shades of white float above the water in the West Conservatory, and a tree in the Peirce–du Pont House is laden with hand-painted, mouth-blown ornaments by The Ornament King company.
Looking Ahead
During the stark beauty of winter, there’s always hope for spring ahead. At Longwood, spring 2025 will see the completion of a restored, centrally located outdoor Waterlily Court, now framed by an arcade. This longtime favorite is home to aquatic plants and waterlilies from around the globe, from aquatic cannas to South American water-platters that are several feet wide.
Side Dish
The expansion included an enlarged 1906 fine-dining restaurant and bar (with its own short menu) in a new location below the Main Conservatory with views of the Main Fountain Garden. The Café and Beer Garden are more casual options.
Linda Cabasin is a travel editor and writer who covered the globe at Fodor’s before taking up the freelance life. Three generations of her family have been Longwood fans. She’s a contributing editor at Fathom. Follow Linda on Instagram at @lcabasin.
Featured photo: Floating cone trees outside the new West Conservatory at night. Image by Hank Davis. Courtesy of Longwood Gardens
