Longwood Gardens Martha Stewart Birthday

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For my birthday, my BFF Randi treated me to an amazing day at Longwood Gardens.  First of all, Martha Stewart was headlining, to promote her newest book, Martha’s Flowers A Practical Guide to Growing, Gathering and Enjoying.  So, it was very appropriate that Martha would do so at one of the premiere horticultural centers in the United States.  Furthermore, Randi and I are lucky because Longwood Gardens is practically in our back yards, only about forty five minutes from where we live outside of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania.  Both Randi and I love flowers and plants.  Therefore, we are both avid “gardeners”.  We plant our gardens each spring, and take care of them all summer.

LONGWOOD GARDENS SPEAKER MARTHA STEWART
LONGWOOD GARDENS SPEAKER MARTHA STEWART AND KEVIN SHARKEY

Also, I love having flowers in the house.  So, I plant a cutting garden, so I can grow and cut my own flowers.  Then, I can create flower arrangements to have in the house.  Randi use to be a party planner. She made gorgeous flower arrangements for huge wedding, and large parties.  As a result, Martha’s newest book, a practical guide to growing, gathering and enjoying flowers is right up both Randi and my alley.  At the end of her talk, Martha  gave each one in her audience a copy of her new book.  We left the outdoor theater, and ran to the parking lot to put our books in the car.  Then, to the gardens we went!

Longwood Gardens – A Short History

Originally, the Lenape Indiands lived in the area where Longwood Gardens is now.  To illustrate, for many thousands of years the Lenni Lenape Native tribe fished the streams, hunted its forests, and planted its fields.  Then, in 1700 everything changed.  A Quaker farmer named George Peirce purchased the then English claimed land, from William Penn’s commissioners.  In fact, the family and their ancwstors eventually created a 15 acre arboretum, including specimens from up and down the American Eastern Seaborard, and oversees.  By the 1850s, the arboretum boasted one of the finest collection of trees in the nation. However, by early 1900, the family had lost interest in the land.

As a result, the land passed through many hands.  Finally, a Lumbermill wanted to purchase the land, and take down the trees.  Then, Pierre Du Pont purchased the land. He was a member of the very wealthy DuPont Family. Also, he was an entrepreneur and businessman, and engineer.  Originality Pont purchased the land in order to save the trees.  Eventually, he used the land, creating beautiful fountains and planting magnificent gardens, and even a Conservatory, Greenhouse to grow his own fruit. The reason for this was, DuPont wanted a place where he could entertain guests.  In 1954, Pierre DuPont passed away, leaving a huge endowment to keep Longwood Gardens running forever.

Longwood Gardens – The Gardens

Rose Gardens

LONGWOOD GARDENS YELLOW ROSES
LONGWOOOD GARDENS YELLOW ROSES
LONGWOOD GARDENS PINK ROSES
LONGWOOD GARDENS PINK ROSES
LONGWOOD GARDENS DARK PINK ROSES
LONGWOOD GARDENS DARK PINK ROSES
WHITE ROSES
WHITE ROSES
ROSE BUSH
ROSE BUSH
SALMON ROSES
SALMON ROSES
ROSE GARDENS
ROSE GARDENS

IMG_7771

RED ROSES GARDEN
RED ROSES GARDEN

ALEUM

LONGWOOD GARDENS ALEUM gARDEN
LONGWOOD GARDENS ALEUM GARDENS
ALEUM
ALEUM
ALEUM
ALEUM
MORE ALEUM
MORE ALEUM

LONGWOOD-GARDENS-ALYUMS-4

Dahlias

NEWLY PLANTED DAHLIAS
NEWLY PLANTED DAHLIAS-LONGWOOD GARDENS IS HOSTING THE ANNUAL NATIONAL DAHLIA SOCIETY GROWERS, SHOWERS AND ENJOYMENT OF DAHLIAS SYMPOSIUM IN SEPTEMBER 2018
MORE DAHLIA GARDENS
MORE DAHLIA GARDENS

Lavender

LAVENDER PATH
LAVENDER PATH

MARIGOLDSIMG_7880

DELPHINIAN

LAVENDER AROUND THE FOUNTAIN
AROUND THE FOUNTAIN DELPHINIAM AND COLEUS

TOPIARY GARDEN

TOPIARY GARDEN
TOPIARY GARDEN

LONGWOOD-GARDENS-TOPIARY-GARDEN-BIRD-TOPIARIES

BEGONIA

BEGONIA LEAVES AND FLOWER
GORGEOUS BEGONIA LEAVES AND FLOWER

MORE BEAUTIFUL GARDENS

FOUNTAIN GARDEN
FOUNTAIN GARDEN
AROUND THE FOUNTAIN
GARDEN AROUND THE FOUNTAIN
GARDENS WITH FLOWERS AND FLOWERPOTS
GARDENS AROUND THE FOUNTAIN WITH FLOWERPOTS

longwood-gardens-summer-gardens-2

longwood-gardens-summer-gardens

LAST OF SPRING POPPIES
LAST OF SPRING POPPIES

WATER LILY DISPLAY

LILY-PADS GARDEN
LILY PADS GARDEN-LARGE LILY-PADS WITH RIMS THAT LOOK LIKE TRAYS ARE LONGWOOD GARDEN HYBRIDS
FLOWERING LILYPADS
FLOWERING  WATER LILY -BLACK INK USED TO KEEP WATER BLACK TO COAT IT FOR PROTECTION FROM SUN
HYBRID LILY PADS
HYBRID-LONGWOOD-GARDEN WATER LILY

ASSORTED PLANTED POTS

ASSORTED PLANTED POTS
ASSORTED PLANTED POTS

LONGWOOD-GARDENS-LESLIE-GREEMHOURSE-CONSERVATORY

MAIN FOUNTAIN GARDENS

IT TOOK 2 MYEARS TO REVITALIZE AND UPDATE THE MAIN FOUNTAIN GARDENS
REVITALIZED AND UPDATED FOUNTAIN GARDENS TOOK TWO YEARS

LONGWOOD-GARDENS-FOUNTAIN-FRENCH-ITALIAN-INSPIRATION

The Main Fountain Garden is five acres.  And, it combines Italian Ornamental Design (the fountains) inspired by the Villa Gamberaia near Florence, Italy, with French Grandiosity.

CONSERVATORY

The conservatory was built in 1914.

Fern Passageway

HANGING FERN
HANGING FERN

LONGWOOD-GARDEN-FERN-OF-SOME-KIND

HANGING FERN
HANGING FERN
CURLY LEAF FERN TREE
CURLY LEAF FERN TREE
FIDDLE HEAD FERNS
FIDDLE HEAD FERNS
ANTLER FERN
ANTLER FERN
MORE ANTLER FERNS
MORE ANTLER FERNS

LONGWOOD-GARDEN-LARGE-FERN

FIDDLE HEAD BABY FERNS
FIDDLE HEAD BABY FERNS

BONSAI DISPLAYLONGWOOD-GARDENS-BONSAI-EHAT-IS-ITLONGWOOD-GARDENS-BONSAI-HOW-OLD-IS-IT

AZALEA BONSAI PINK BLOOMS
AZALEA BONSAI PINK BLOOMS
AZALEA RED FULL BLOOM BONSAI
AZALEA RED FULL BLOOM BONSAI
TRAINING SINCE 1987
TRAINING SINCE 1987
AZALEA BONSAI
AZALEA BONSAI
TRAINING SINCE 1906
TRAINING SINCE 1906
TRAINING SINCE 1955
TRAINING SINCE 1955

LONGWOOD-GARDENS-BONSAI-TREE-5

POMEGRANATE BONZAI
POMEGRANATE BONSAI
RANDI'S FAVORITE!
RANDI’S FAVORITE!

ORCHID DISPLAY

BALLET SLIPPER ORCHID
BALLET SLIPPER ORCHID
PURPLE FLOWER BALLET SLIPPER ORCHID
PURPLE FLOWER BALLET SLIPPER ORCHID
FLAMINGO ORCHID
FLAMINGO ORCHID ON LEFT, LOOK LIKE RED FLAMINGOS
HANGING ORCHID
HANGING ORCHID

LONGWOOD-GARDENS-HANGING-ORCHID

VENUS FLY TRAPLONGWOOD-GARDEN-VENUS-FLY-TRAPSLONGWOOD-GARDENS-MORE-MORE-VENUS-FLYTRAPS-3

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES ESTATE FRUIT HOUSE

NECTARINES GROWING UPRIGHT
NECTARINES GROWING UPRIGHT
EGGPLANT BABIES
EGGPLANT BABIES

LONGWOOD-GARDENS-EGGPLANTS

CUCUMBER
CUCUMBER
NECTARINES GROWING ON FLAT BOARD
NECTARINES GROWING ON FLAT WIRED FENCE

LONGWOOD-GARDEN-HOT-HOUSE-CUCUMBER

LIVING FOSSILS

LIVING FOSSIL PLANT COELACANTH
LIVING FOSSILS CYCAD PLANTS HAVE A LONG FOSSIL HISTORY

LONGWOODGARDENS-CYRAND

TROPICAL PLANTSLONGWOOD-GARDENS-FUZZY-TREE

BIRD OF PARADISE TROPICAL
BIRD OF PARADISE TROPICAL

LONGWOOD-GARDENS-PLANTLONGWOOD-GARDENS-HUGE-LEAVES-PLANT

GREEN WALL

GREEN WALL IS WHERE THE FAMOUS BATHROOMS WERE VOTED BEST AMERICAN BATHROOM IN 2014
GREEN WALL IS WHERE THE FAMOUS BATHROOMS WERE VOTED BEST AMERICAN BATHROOM IN 2014!

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST…………

What An  Awesome Day! First, the weather was glorious.  And, Martha Stewart was fantastic. Best of all, the Gardens were gorgeous!  Randi took me to a delicious lunch.  We each had the famous Kennett Square Mushroom Soup!  Yummmmm. These famous mushrooms are grown right in Kennett Square!  And the best part of all was just spending the day with my bff!  Thank you Randi for the best day ever!  And, I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present!  I love you!!!!!!!LONGWOOD-GARDENS-ME-AND-RANDI

So, if you are ever in the Philadelphia area, you must spend a day at Longwood Gardens.  The displays and the gardens change with the seasons. Randi and I are definitely going back in the Fall to see the chrysanthemums, and  we can’t wait to go Christmas Eve to see the magnificent display of lights and Christmas trees.

I hope you enjoyed spending the day with Randi and me!

xoxoxo

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Sookie and Sylvie reside in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We created our mother and daughter in law partnership because we MUDDLE THROUGH really well together (highly unusual for a mother-dogter relationship), we share many interests and love the same things. read more

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