The East Outdoor Gardens

Peirce's Woods

This seven-acre area has been developed as an "art form" garden that brings together the most ornamental characteristics of the eastern deciduous forest. Under the high branches of oak, ash, maple and tulip trees, sweeps of native shrubs and native ground cover plantings carpet the woodland floor, punctuated by flowering understory trees. Various "rooms" have been created within the woods, with emphasis on native deciduous azaleas blooming from early spring to summer. The concept of using native plants to create the woodland garden as an art form is one of the first such projects in any public garden.

Noteworthy plants: foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia), creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera), Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), sweet azalea (Rhododendron arborescens), coast azalea (Rhododendron atlanticum), rosebay rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum), pinxter-bloom azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides), pink-shell azalea (Rhododendron vaseyi), American holly (Ilex opaca), hairy alumroot (Heuchera villosa), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia), wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora), pawpaw (Asimina triloba), Carolina silverbell (Halesia tetraptera), maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum)

Peirce's Park

Peirce's Park is considered one of the finest collections of trees in the nation. Some of the trees are approximately 200 years old. All are labeled with small brass tags on the north side of the trunks.

Noteworthy plants: Canada hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), cucumber magnolia (Magnolia acuminata), tulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), London plane-tree (Platanus x acerifolia), littleleaf linden (Tilia cordata)

The Meadow

Once the site of a planted field and pasture, this area was created to add a new dimension to the horticultural display of Longwood Gardens. The meadow represents the first stage in the natural succession process: the progressive replacement of one plant community by another, from field to forest. To maintain the meadow, Longwood mows or burns it once a year in late winter to prevent tree and shrub growth. The native wildflowers found there have either been planted by Longwood horticulturists or independently established from seed dispersed by wind or animals. Persistent invasive weeds such as Japanese honeysuckle and Canada thistle are controlled mechanically and by applying selective herbicide sprays. In late summer and early fall, the meadow is particularly attractive and alive with moths, butterflies and birds. Visitors can explore the meadow by following the mowed paths.

Noteworthy plants: butterfly-weed (Asclepias tuberosa), sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), goldenrods (Solidago canadensis), New England aster (Aster novae-angliae), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa), wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), blazing-star (Liatris spicata), spotted Joe-Pye-weed (Eupatorium maculatum 'Purple Bush'), great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)

Lakes

The spring-fed lakes and rolling green lawns in this area are reminiscent of English parks. Always of interest are the bald-cypresses growing in and near one end of the Small Lake. The unusual cypress knees are thought to help support the trees in swampy conditions and to store energy in the form of starch, but there is no conclusive data to support either of these theories.

In April, the lawns around both the small and large lakes are punctuated with clusters of daffodils. Daylilies color the bank of the large lake in July, and yellow, orange and red fall foliage from the sylvan slopes of Peirce's Woods is reflected from the lake's surface during October. The watery habitat is also home to a diverse animal population including Canadian geese, ducks, heron, frogs, bluegills, golden orf fish and raccoons.

Noteworthy plants: bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora), golden weeping willow (Salix x sepulcralis), double weeping Higan cherry (Prunus subhirtella 'Pendula Plena Rosea'), bald-cypress (Taxodium distichum)

The Forest Walk

Forests originally covered all of this part of Pennsylvania. A stroll under these magnificent tulip trees, ashes and maples suggests what the land around Longwood was once like. This woodland path is cool in the summer and provides some of the best views of Longwood's colorful foliage in October.

Noteworthy plants: tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), white ash (Fraxinus americana), common spicebush (Lindera benzoin), red oak (Quercus rubra), maple-leaved viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), Virginia spring-beauty (Claytonia virginica), Norway maple (Acer platanoides), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

While visiting our East Outdoor Gardens, you will also see the Italian Water Garden and Sylvan Fountain.