Explore Longwood Gardens

Closeup of a large white waterlily in bloom.
Carol DeGuiseppi

From our humble beginnings as a Quaker farmstead and arboretum, to Pierre S. du Pont’s forward-thinking stewardship, to today’s collection of renowned landscape designers, horticulturists, and architects, our great garden of the world evolves and emerges again and again.

Through Longwood Gardens and its program of outstanding horticultural display, every visitor to the Gardens has the opportunity to gain, culturally and spiritually, a better peace of mind.

Russell J. Seibert, Longwood’s first director

Explore nearly 200 acres of lush, formal gardens, open meadows, and winding paths to breathtaking Brandywine Valley vistas. Together, mesmerizing displays, feats of engineering, and science-based research and conservation work harmoniously toward the overarching goal to unite and inspire our guests in appreciation of beauty—as only Longwood can. 

Explore Our Gardens

  • Our Districts
    A stone path winds through a lush room of colorful plants with a hanging light above

    Our Districts

    Explore nearly 200 acres of lush, formal gardens, open meadows, and winding paths.

  • Our Seasons
    looking through fall leaves to the canopy cathedral treehouse

    Our Seasons

    We honor the four seasons with five unique Longwood seasons, celebrating the bounty of our gardens throughout the cycles of renewal, growth, and ever-evolving splendor. 

  • Our Plants
    close up of orange Clivia Miniata with green and yellow center

    Our Plants

    Explore over 10,000 species and varieties of plants, representing 200 different plant families. 

  • Our Science
    A person holds a small vial with plant material inside in a lab

    Our Science

    Our scientific work lays the groundwork for discoveries that expand our understanding of the natural world and help perpetuate and celebrate its beauty for generations to come.

  • Franklinia

    Franklinia, or the Franklin tree is a small deciduous tree in the camellia family. It was first discovered by the Philadelphia based botanists John and William Bartram on the banks of the Alatamaha River in Georgia in 1765. William Bartram collected seed in 1773, and successfully cultivated the plant at the Bartram gardens in Philadelphia. Bartram named the new plant Franklinia alatamaha in honor of his father’s friend Benjamin Franklin.  It is a unique tree as it is the only species in its genus, and it is now extinct in the wild. The original stand of trees was restricted to a small area and the species went extinct soon after its discovery, with the last confirmed sighting recorded in 1803. The probable causes for its demise were increased activity associated with settlers; for example fires and land clearance. All known living specimens in cultivation today are descended from the seed collected by William Bartram.  Interestingly, while the tree was discovered in Georgia, it performs well in more northern climates. It has therefore been hypothesized that the tree was pushed south during the last ice age, then stranded when the ice retreated. The trees that the Bartrams discovered might have been the last remnants of a once much larger population.  The Franklin tree is available commercially and is prized in cultivation for both its story and its fragrant camellia-like flowers and red fall foliage.
  • Hybrid  White Lotus

    Known for their beauty, the highly ornamental flowers of lotus are extremely fragrant and symbolic in many cultures.  Emerging from the murky waters into the bright clear day is how Nelumbo nucifera, also referred to as the sacred lotus, first became a symbol of enlightenment. The fact that the sacred lotus is able to emerge without any trace of the muddy depths from which it was born is how it became associated with purity. Further elevating its sacred status, it’s reputed that Buddha rose up from the heart of a lotus bud more than 2,500 years ago.