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Growing Community: Art and Gardens
a group of people walking toward the entrance of the Google Works building

Growing Community: Art and Gardens

As part of the Fellows Program, our cohort has had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the culture of organizations throughout the region.

By Usman Ibrahim and Nick Lazio, on October 20, 2021
The Stories We Tell: A Visit to Shofuso
a traditional tea house with green shurbs and hedges surrounding it

The Stories We Tell: A Visit to Shofuso

As the docent intern at Longwood, I focus on how we interpret and share such details, so I am constantly thinking about the stories we tell in our garden, as well as the design choices, gardening techniques, and plant selections we employ to tell them.

By Esther Leaming, on September 29, 2021
Learning Together, Near and Far
two adults viewing the main fountain garden through a camera screen at dusk

Learning Together, Near and Far

It’s been nearly 18 months since we last welcomed students into the Gardens as part of our in-person Continuing Education programming … but all of that changes this October.

By Matthew Thomas, on August 25, 2021
Welcoming Our Fellows
Five member class of 2021 Longwood Fellows posing outside

Welcoming Our Fellows

Our Fellows Program brings talented professionals to Longwood to live and study alongside one another … all while learning more about themselves and the further contributions they can make.

By Katie Mobley, on July 28, 2021
Follow Our Discovery Trail
tree with signage for the discovery trail

Follow Our Discovery Trail

Discover hidden secrets in the Main Fountain Garden, identify trees in Peirce’s Woods, search for wildlife in our Meadow Garden, and even take a meditative moment with garden-inspired yoga poses.

By Katie Mobley, on June 30, 2021
A Lesson in Signature and Identity
a wooden walking path zig-zags through a bed of greenery

A Lesson in Signature and Identity

After not being able to have a Student Exhibition Garden in 2020 because of the onset of COVID-19, we are incredibly excited to once again proudly showcase our students’ beautiful visions, hard work, and utmost care in the form of the three distinct gardens that reflect this year’s Student Exhibition Garden theme—signature and identity.

By Katie Mobley, on May 26, 2021
Community Read: A Conversation with Author J. Drew Lanham
The Home Place book leaning against a tree

Community Read: A Conversation with Author J. Drew Lanham

We are delighted to discuss finding a passion for nature and what can become of that spark … an idea that’s wonderfully explored in our 2021 Community Read adult title by J. Drew Lanham.

By Gillian Hayward, on April 21, 2021
Reflections on the Pandemic as a Student
Close up of a pink flowering Magnolia_soulangeana

Reflections on the Pandemic as a Student

Learning to navigate the effects of Covid-19 is an experience that every person in our country and across the world has been confronted with over the past year, including the Longwood Professional Horticulture class of 2021.

By Kaylene Argot, on April 14, 2021
The Tale of Bayard Taylor
a scanned photograph of a large victorian home surrounded by evergreen trees

The Tale of Bayard Taylor

There are many stories to be told about the lives of the residents of the Longwood Cemetery, located just outside of the Longwood Gardens entrance.

By Gillian Hayward, on March 31, 2021
The Art of the Great Gardener

The Art of the Great Gardener

Behind every great garden is a great gardener telling a story through his or her design.

By Katie Mobley, on March 24, 2021
Community Read: A Conversation with Author Mya Thompson
Closeup of smiling person with long blonde-brown hair against a background of green grass

Community Read: A Conversation with Author Mya Thompson

We had the pleasure of recently speaking with Mya Thompson about her work, her inspiration, and her recommendations for how families can get involved in birding and nature appreciation.

By Gillian Hayward, on March 17, 2021
A Poignant Reading Journey

A Poignant Reading Journey

Explore the following selections that serve as fantastic sources of excellent nature writing, each with its own perspective of the African American experience.

By David Sleasman, on February 10, 2021
Getting to Know Plants by Name
a silver sage plant planted in a bed of brown mulch

Getting to Know Plants by Name

Names, in general, allow us to make an association with an object, living or not, and are a basic facet of our everyday life. In the world of biology, living things have scientific names … and plants are no exception.

By Kristina Aguilar, on August 26, 2020
Our Fellows Reflect
a bare tree in a field

Our Fellows Reflect

As part of the Fellows Program, our 2019–20 Fellows spent time at individual field placement sites around the globe. Here, they reflect on their time spent at their host organizations, and their lessons learned along the way

By Shawna Jones, Abra Lee, Becky Paxton, Mae Lin Plummer, Barbara Wheeler, and Nanette Wraith, on June 10, 2020
A Beautiful Distraction

A Beautiful Distraction

After patients expressed a desire to view local scenes during treatment, ChristianaCare hired NAPCO Video of Philadelphia to capture footage at Longwood Gardens to show to patients via VR while receiving chemotherapy.

By Abbey Gau, on March 19, 2020
A Community Read Conversation with Chris Thorogood
Painting of large hollow red plants with pitcher-like openings on a green hillside with misty hills in the background

A Community Read Conversation with Chris Thorogood

Chris Thorogood invites you to engage with plants that have long captured his imagination, inspired his art, and shaped his career.

By Lynn Schuessler, on March 11, 2020
A Community Read Conversation with Sue Burke
cover of book, "Semiosis" by Sue Burke perched in front of plants

A Community Read Conversation with Sue Burke

Now in its seventh year, a rousing discussion has always been a defining feature of our Community Read. But this year marks a few firsts, including our first science fiction selection by debut novelist Sue Burke.

By Lynn Schuessler, on February 25, 2020
Lights, Camera, Learning
zoomed in photograph of a video camera

Lights, Camera, Learning

For more than five years, Longwood Gardens has offered fun, interactive, free virtual programming to public and private schools around the world via our Virtual Field Trip program, improving science knowledge and introducing 10,000 students per year to the exciting possibilities of a career in horticulture.

By Kellie Saraceno, on February 4, 2020
Inspiring a Love of Nature
a small boy holding a magnifying glass up to his eye

Inspiring a Love of Nature

Even though we find ourselves in the winter months right now, it’s still a fantastic time (as is any time) to broaden children’s understanding of the natural world around them.
By Michelle Cugini, on January 6, 2020
Health and the Garden: Fellows Leadership Salon
child in wheelchair uses shovel to place soil in hand-painted flowerpot

Health and the Garden: Fellows Leadership Salon

The public garden community readily encourages their communities to engage with plants and the green spaces around them … the desire for this engagement is ever-present in our work.

By Nanette Wraith, on December 20, 2019