America’s Grandest Garden Has 10,000 Plant Species, Light Shows & Underground Railroad Legacy

Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania

Most botanical gardens give you some flowers and a gift shop. Longwood Gardens is 1,100 acres of perfectly manicured gardens, a massive conservatory packed with rare species, and fountains that would make Vegas jealous.

And the real magic is how it keeps evolving – seasonal displays mean you could visit four times a year and see something completely new each time.

The Farm That Became a Tree Museum

The Peirce family bought this land from William Penn around 1700. In 1798, twins Joshua and Samuel Peirce started an arboretum that grew to house one of America’s best tree collections by 1850.

It became a popular spot for locals to gather, helping establish the concept of public gardens in America. You can still see prehistoric artifacts from thousands of years ago, original Quaker stonework, and plants from America’s earliest international exchanges when you visit today.

The Secret Underground Railroad Station

Longwood got its name from “Long Woods,” where people escaping slavery found shelter at this Underground Railroad station. Local Quakers from Kennett Square, Hamorton, and Wilmington, Delaware supported this important safe haven.

Records show at least 40 freedom seekers passed through here on their journey. You can still visit the Webb Farmhouse from the 1700s that served as one shelter location.

There’s also a memorial marker about this history near Peirce’s Park that tells more of the story.

How a Businessman Saved Ancient Trees from the Sawmill

In 1906, Pierre S. du Pont bought the property to save its historic trees from becoming lumber. At 36 years old, he wasn’t planning to create a world-famous garden but simply wanted to protect the beautiful arboretum.

The sale was handled by Isabel Darlington, the first female lawyer in Chester County. Du Pont used his chemistry background from MIT to bring a scientific approach to gardening.

While running both DuPont Company and General Motors, he still found time to develop Longwood into something special.

The Garden With More Fountains Than Any Other in America

Pierre du Pont personally designed many water features in the 1930s, including the 600-jet Italian Water Garden and impressive Main Fountain Garden. You’ll see over 4,000 pieces of hand-carved limestone fountain decorations throughout the gardens.

The main water jets can shoot up to 175 feet high. Using technology similar to what you’d find at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, these fountains dance to music through a computer system.

The Ninety Million Dollar Water Show

In 2014, Longwood began fixing up its historic Main Fountain Garden. The two-year, $90 million project replaced all mechanical systems and restored over 4,000 pieces of limestone.

They added 1,719 LED lights that can create 16.8 million different colors. The renovation used 9,000 cubic yards of concrete and laid 5 miles of new underground pipes.

During busy times, these fountains move 375,000 gallons of water every hour through the system.

The Flowers That Only Grow in the Himalayas

Longwood Gardens grows Himalayan blue poppies (Meconopsis ‘Lingholm’) to flower each March, creating beautiful four-inch blooms. These unusual flowers rarely grow outside their native high-altitude Himalayan home.

Longwood Garden experts use special cold treatments to trick the poppies into blooming here. These fussy plants need nights between 45-50°F and precise timing of cold periods.

Their vivid blue color comes from a rare plant pigment called meconin that almost never appears in other flowers.

The Indoor Garden Big Enough to Fit a Baseball Field

Ten years after buying Longwood, Pierre du Pont built the amazing Conservatory that opened in 1921. This year-round plant paradise remains one of the garden’s most popular features.

In 2024, Longwood unveiled its new 32,000-square-foot West Conservatory as part of a $250 million expansion. The conservatory buildings house 5,500 different plant species, including 200 types of palms.

The Exhibition Hall ceiling goes up 65 feet, allowing for the tallest indoor plant displays in America.

How a Small Garden Grew to Over A Thousand Acres

By the mid-1930s, Longwood had grown from its original 202 acres to 926 acres as du Pont bought 25 neighboring properties. Today, the gardens cover more than 1,100 acres of beautifully maintained grounds.

You can explore 20 different indoor and outdoor gardens, 4.5 acres of conservatories, and an 86-acre Meadow Garden.

The gardening team plants about 250,000 bulbs every year. Throughout the property, you’ll find over 11,000 different types of plants, including champion trees that hold records for being the largest of their kind.

The Place Where Plant Experts Learn Their Craft

Running as a private non-profit foundation, Longwood offers many learning programs, including a two-year Professional Gardener Program, internships, and courses for teachers. More than 1,000 students have finished their professional garden education here.

You can choose from over 700 educational events each year, from hands-on workshops to online learning sessions. In 2025, Longwood won its fifth Pinnacle Award in a row from the Center for Interactive Learning & Collaboration.

You can join their science projects that track everything from bee populations to how climate change affects plants.

The Garden Meant to Last Forever

Pierre du Pont created Longwood, Inc. in 1914 to make sure his vision would continue after he was gone. The organization keeps the property as “the living legacy of Pierre S. du Pont, inspiring excellence in garden design, horticulture, education, and the arts.”

The Longwood Foundation has over $500 million saved up, ensuring they can keep running far into the future. Du Pont’s original planning documents still guide how the organization makes decisions today.

This garden is unusual because it’s one of the few major plant institutions worldwide that uses private funding instead of government support.

The Safe Home for Plants That Almost Disappeared

Longwood keeps several important plant collections, including rare native orchids from Pennsylvania and nearby states. They were the first place in the United States to successfully grow and flower Disa uniflora, maintaining one of the only public collections of this plant type in the country.

Their plant saving program focuses on threatened species like Hamamelis ovalis and Polemonium vanbruntiae. Longwood participates in 15 international seed banking projects to preserve plant diversity.

In 2024, their native plant collection was shown at the famous Chelsea Flower Show in London.

Visiting Longwood Gardens

You’ll find Longwood Gardens at 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, about an hour from Philadelphia.

The gardens are open Wednesday through Monday and closed on Tuesdays. Hours change with the seasons, so check the website before going.

What to Know Before You Go:

• You need timed tickets, so buy them online before your trip
• Special deals available for military members, veterans, and SNAP/EBT users ($2 per person)
• Kids under 4 get in free
• Free parking with EV charging stations available

Most people spend 3-4 hours exploring the gardens. If you want more time, try the Two-Day Pass for a longer visit. For just $6 extra, you can get the Gardens By Day & Night ticket that lets you visit twice in one day—see the flowers in daylight and return for the evening light shows (available weekends from May through October 2025).