A New Chapter for Our East Conservatory’s Story

Amid the cold winter months, new tropical foliage springs to life in the East Conservatory—and we’re so excited to share it with you. Starting this season, we have replaced the East Conservatory’s lawn along the Oval Basin with a permanent collection of vibrant, tropical plantings designed to pull guests into the story and narrative of the garden. As the East Conservatory Horticulturist, this endeavor has given me an even greater appreciation of the space that I manage and the story that it tells. Follow along as we share the process, from planning to planting, and what you can now enjoy in the East Conservatory.

First built as an addition to the historic Main Conservatory by founder Pierre S. du Pont in 1928—and originally called the Azalea House—and undergoing its most recent multi-year restoration that debuted in 2006, our East Conservatory has certainly evolved throughout the decades. Today, this half-acre garden features tranquil water features, leafy Mediterranean and subtropical-climate flora, and seasonal rotations of new horticultural displays. As part of the 2006 restoration, a lawn along the Oval Basin was designed to offer a calming counterpoint to the many seasonal and permanent plantings that surrounded it. Throughout the years, the East Conservatory has evolved and plantings have changed, shifting the overall composition of the space, and leading us to removing the lawn permanently and imbuing that space with new, permanent tropical plantings. 

Planning for this new display started with a simple sketch on an old design plan of the East Conservatory—and a want to complement the incredible view that greets you as you enter, through the fountains and waterfall as you look towards the Patio of Oranges. We wanted to keep space for seasonal floral plantings, but we decided to shift the location of those seasonal plantings forward to surround the Oval Basin. Once that bed line was set, we began working to select the new permanent plantings. Considerations were made for introducing new plants to the collections, as well as reviving some that had fallen out of the collection over the years.

Over the last few years, we have refreshed many of the East Conservatory’s existing permanent plantings, moving many ferns and cycads previously found in the former Palm House, Banana House, and Tropical Terrace to the East Conservatory. We also recently transplanted our collection of Clivia ‘Longwood Debutante’ from the East Conservatory to the new West Conservatory; this left us with space to introduce new plants into that planting bed. With the addition of the ferns and cycads to our East Conservatory, and reworking other permanent plantings, we saw an opportunity to further refine and contextualize the East Conservatory’s planting areas, bringing together a cohesive design. 

Early in the lawn-turned-permanent plantings design process we selected Musa × paradisiaca ‘Ae Ae’ (variegated banana), as the anchor plant for this transformation, which will be planted in the coming weeks. We also wanted to select a new display site for our smaller Encephalartos woodii. We then integrated plants of various textures and brightness for the new permanent planting area, including Ficus elastica 'Schrijveriana' (moonshine rubber-plant); Odontonema callistachyum (purple fire-spike); Phyllotaenium lindenii (white-veined arrow-leaf); Begonia 'Chuck B. Jaros' (shrub-like begonia); Calyptrocalyx elegans (boalak palm); Costus woodsonii (scarlet spiralflag); Pseuderanthemum laxiflorum (amethyst-stars); Spathoglottis plicata (tropical ground orchid); and Alocasia ‘Metalhead’ (elephant’s-ear-plant). 

Many of the earlier plantings designed for the East were those of softer, rich green shades. With this new planting we wanted to celebrate the vibrancy of tropical plants and subtly balance the existing green. Flowering shrubs like the Odontonema and Pseuderanthemum provide seasonal color when blooming, and soft textured foliage throughout the year, whereas Ficus elastica 'Schrijveriana' brightens the space with dramatically variegated gold foliage. Each of these layers was thoughtfully selected to enhance and repeat themes throughout the East Conservatory.

The initial scope of the project was limited to the existing lawn and display beds. Midway through the process we decided to expand the design to include the planting bed below the Court of Palms, in order to help repeat the themes from the existing design. Design elements were expanded, but not duplicated, allowing us to increase the diversity within the display. We wanted to use a minimal, sleek planting for that area that mimicked the planting design of the lawn replacement. To match the variegation of the banana, we selected a variegated variety of Heliconia called ‘Candy Cane’, to be planted in the coming weeks. This relative to bird-of-paradise, Strelitzia, has bold gold and red blooms and upright variegated foliage. We also selected an underplanting of vibrant pink terrestrial orchids mirroring the Odontonema and Pseuderanthemum. While each area of the East is its own distinct planting, repeated themes, textures, and colors across all of the plantings help pull guests into the story and narrative of the garden. 

The new plantings where the lawn used to be is certainly one of the more visible changes to the East Conservatory, there are always new plantings to be found. The garden is always evolving and the plant palette is rarely static—but its beauty is ever-present. We look forward to watching our new permanent plantings grow—and we can’t wait to share them with you.