Longwood Gardens - Pennsylvania

[salden]

This has to be my all time favorite place to visit. Longwood Gardens is located in the Brandywine Valley, approximately 30W of Philadelphia, PA and spreads over 1,050 acres with 20 indoor and 20 outdoor gardens.



The above photo is the main fountain garden The highest fountain jet rises 130 feet. When the full display is running, 10,000 gallons of water recirculate each minute through 380 fountainheads, scuppers and spouts. They have a Festival of Fountains where color lights and music is incorporated, but I have not been to these yet.



This is the Sculpture Garden and includes more than 50 specimens in 20 different shapes including cones, cubes, spirals; as well as bird shapes and rabbits, etc.



This image is part of the Conservatory. It houses 20 indoor gardens and 5,500 types of plants.



This image was taken in the Italian Water Garden and includes six large and 12 small blue-tiled pools with 600 jets of water and a water staircase that recirculate 4,500 gallons of water each minute.

I usually spend the entire day when I visit. The gardens are open year round and have plants for each season. They do a Christmas Light show where all the gardens are lit up in Christmas tradition. Each holiday brings a different show.

Longwood Gardens is owned by the Dupont Family.
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Sue Alden

[Ken Ramos]

Wow, that is a pretty classy looking place there Sue, reminds me of the Biltmore in Asheville. Second image now, lets see, hmm...I see a froggie, a duck, Jimmy Hoffa, maybe an alligator, and a flying saucer. Hows that Yeah I think I could spend a day maybe two or three there. That is really a nice place with all those different species of plants and not to mention the abundance of bugs that would go with them, unless someone sprays them with pesticides.

[salden]

As far as the bugs go..there are the dansels, the bees, the bfs,,but no, you will not find aphids or any insect that would damage those plants. They do not use pesticides.
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Sue Alden

[rjlittlefield]

Looks like a wonderful place!

[salden]

This is from the book I have. They do use pesticides, I was mistaken about that (or at least the individual that worked there was misinformed):

"Integrated Pest Management (IPM) uses multiple strategies to reduce the impact of insects, diseases, weeds, and other pests that damage plants. The main concepts of an IPM program are pest prevention practices, identification of pests, and the use of control measures that match the level and severity of the pest problem. The health and environment of the entire plant is considered. Often nutrient levels or some other environmental factor will stress plants, predisposing them to pests. Modern IPM programs emphasize the use of innovative biological controls, often in conjunction with selective pesticides that carry reduced risks to the environment, unlike their broad-spectrum ancestors. Yet time-honored ideas, such as cultural practices to prevent pest infestations and the conservation of pests' natural enemies are also incorporated into this environmentally conscious approach. IPM does not simply mean that more pests must be tolerated or that pesticide applications should not be made. IPM seeks to find the most effective yet least intrusive way to reduce the potential impact of pests"
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Sue Alden

[Ken Ramos]

Hey that is pretty neat. I was expecting to read about lady bugs and such.

[Mike B in OKlahoma]

Cool place! Now I know where to visit next time I'm in Pennsylvania (which seems to be on the list of places I don't often get to, alas!).
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Mike Broderick
Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Constructive critiques of my pictures, and reposts in this forum for purposes of critique are welcome

"I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul....My mandate includes weird bugs."
--Calvin

[rjlittlefield]

IPM sounds perfect for this place -- like they're committed to having plants in really good shape using whatever combination of methods works best.

If I ever get back to Pennsylvania, this will be on my list of places to see too!

--Rik