The Main Conservatory

The Orangery

Visitors enter the Conservatory Complex through the Orangery, the stateliest of all the indoor display areas. This greenhouse was originally used for growing edible citrus fruits. Today, the majestic glasshouse features a kaleidoscope of flowers, bulbs and foliage that exude color and fragrance and change frequently through each of Longwood's seasons.

Noteworthy Plants: Creeping fig (Ficus pumila) grows up the columns just as it did in the days of Longwood's founder Pierre du Pont. Birds-of-paradise (Strelitzia reginae) and an old Rhaphiolepis (Rhaphiolepis x delacourii) are permanent residents in the ever-changing floral display conservatory.

The Exhibition Hall

The Exhibition Hall has the original, sunken, marble floor which is usually flooded with a few inches of water for reflection. Australian tree ferns thrive in the humid environment. Occasionally the floor is drained and used for special displays and events.

Noteworthy Plants: Bougainvillea is trained on the pillars and is original to the conservatory plantings from the 1920s. Seasonal displays may include flowering bulbs, oleander (Nerium oleander), crape-myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), geraniums (Geranium maderense), Marguerite (Argyranthemum frutescens) and petunias. Flower shows from the Rose, Lily, Rhododendron, Orchid and Bonsai Societies also take center stage in this room throughout the year.