Longwood Gardens’ holiday glory

Christmas trees float across a Longwood pond.

What can I add to this? Lovely.

Only rarely is a garden so beautiful you must see it at night. Every winter, Longwood Gardens in the Brandywine Valley is one of those places. Not a thing is growing and the air is as chilly as a refrigerator but the setting is so wonderful huge crowds arrive to take it all in.

Outside, trees drip with colored lights. A train garden turns grown men into little boys. Tree houses are filled with children and adults filled with delight. The fountains dance to the light and colors of the season.

One tropical display features glass bird ornaments.

Inside, the conservatory features banks of poinsettias, towering trees and whimsical displays. This year the theme seemed to be birds and they were everywhere. Cardinals flew around a Christmas tree. Hummingbirds hovered over tropical plants. Swans presided over a lush garden. I loved the penguins frolicking among icebergs — and desert plants. Even the bonsai trees get into the act with a Charlie Brown-like tree.

Go see it before it closes Jan. 11. But just in case you can’t get to Kennett Square, Penn., here’s a peek at Longwood’s holiday glory.

After walking through the outside light displays the warmth and beauty of the conservatory is even more breathtaking.

Children decorated one room of trees. This one featured flamingos.

The conservatory at Longwood Gardens is a feast for the eyes with something new and glorious at every turn.

I never thought about swiss chard as a Christmas plant. Not until I saw this planting.

A fantasy table setting in a fantasy garden.

The colors of Christmas with roses and red-branched bushes.

Look closely at the decorations — they’re beautiful, fanciful and sometimes whimsical.

An Antarctic scene set among the desert plants.

Charlie Brown’s tree in bonsai. We wondered if the pomegranate had grown there.

Cardinals seemed to swoop around this tree filled with white lights.

The Longwood cranes. Birds were a big part of this year’s decorations all around Longwood Gardens.

Pierre DuPont’s house is decorated with this tree.

 © Text and photos Mary K. Tilghman

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