“Flowers are the music of the ground. From earth’s lips spoken without sound.”

– Edwin Curran

Tulips dance to their own music in the spring at Longwood Gardens, which is a prelude to the beauty to come. “Longwood Reimagined” shares a new West Conservatory with a Bonsai Courtyard and a Cascade Garden, which makes it dazzling for new visitors and delightful for returning ones. If the melodic bells of the charming Chimes Tower did not return garden-goers to some sense of reality, everyone would be hard-pressed to say what day it was, much less what time. Though it only takes a few hours to visit the gardens, the experience has the transporting feeling of a vacation.  While writing this, images of sunlit flower petals and the fragrance of the stargazer lilies in the Main Conservatory come to mind.  Nothing that one could write would top the flowers. The photos will do the talking on this spring stroll with more to come since the gardens are wonderful year-round.

Stunning Cattleya orchids

An endearing aspect of Longwood Gardens is its intergenerational appeal; it is not unusual to see three if not four generations enjoying the beauty together.  On this trip, families were visiting during the spring break, happily spending time as a family and having lovely flowers in their family photos.

Lovely lilies in the elegant Lord & Burnham-designed Main Conservatory

Music fills the grounds daily throughout the spring, summer, and fall, a complement to the serene water sounds throughout the gardens. The impressive fountains have their own showcase with jets of water synchronized to music, which begins May 5th. The traditional Illuminated Fountain Performances with synchronized, light-filled jets of water, start this year with a Taylor Swift-themed show, which will delight her fans.  Fireworks & Fountains Shows begin July 3rd. Longwood Gardens has a Summer Performance Series that offers every genre of music and entertainment: carillon, classical, pop, folk, and country music, ballet, and comedy. The “flowers bloom in the spring” with Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado performed by the Savoy Company May 30th and 31st.

Landscape architecture firm Reed Hilderbrand designed the new West Conservatory with a Mediterranean-style landscape. Architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi designed the conservatory.

Bonsai garden sneak peek

A glimpse of the cascade garden designed by the “father of modern landscape design,” Brazilian Roberto Burle Marx

Timed tickets and the spaciousness of the gardens allow large number of visitors without anyone feeling too crowded.  Surrounded by beauty, everyone’s mood is usually generous regarding photo-taking and interacting.

The 200-acre grounds are accessible with mostly paved paths.  Electric scooters and wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. There are mobile and print-friendly maps available with suggested routes. A Sensory Tip sheet is available for visitors with autism. Tickets are best reserved ahead for this popular destination. The cost of tickets depends on the season and weekday vs. weekend. Youth (5-18) pay less than adults and children four and under have free admission. Discounts for military, veterans, college students, seniors, SNAP EBT and PA ACCESS cardholders are available. Though there is no re-admission, the purchase of two-day passes offers a 10% discount for travelers who are staying in the beautiful Brandywine Valley.

The talented horticulturists, focused and hard-working, while visitors mill around them, bring this dream to life.  Thank you to them and the friendly staff and volunteers.

(Source: longwoodgardens.org)

“Longwood Gardens: Spring Symphony” All Rights Reserved ©2025 Kathleen Helen Levey