Longwood Gardens Reimagined

EXTENDING THE CRYSTALLINE RIDGE

Longwood Reimagined expands and refines a conservatory complex begun with Pierre S du Pont’s creation of the Main Conservatory in the 1920s. To fulfill the promise of a “Crystalline Ridge” envisioned in West 8’s 2012 master plan, Reed Hilderbrand shaped a sweeping new landform connecting the Main Conservatory Overlook and to the iconic grove of London Plane trees overlooking the Abbondi Meadows and rolling Brandywine Valley. A new West Conservatory makes the centerpiece of the Longwood Reimagined expansion, but is only one of many other extraordinary destinations within a continuous visitor experience.

RENEWING ROBERTO BURLE MARX’S CASCADE GARDEN

Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994) designed the Cascade Garden for Longwood. First opened in 1992, this historic garden is Burle Marx’s only surviving design in North America and significantly showcases all of the signature elements of his design expression and his deep commitment to South America’s rainforests.

Longwood Reimagined created the opportunity to place the Cascade Garden in closer conversation with new and existing conservatories. A new, 3,800 glass house by WEISS/MANFREDI houses features updated mechanical systems to improve climate control and sustainability. Inside is an exacting reconstruction of the vertical rock walls, cascading waterfalls, and clear pools designed by Burle Marx, guided by Reed Hilderbrand. These elements frame a dense ensemble of plants found in a tropical rainforest, including palms, bromeliads, philodendrons, and more. Adjustments to the garden path were meticulously calibrated to meet accessibility standards without compromising the garden’s design, resulting in a more inclusive and now-ADA-compliant experience. A new courtyard by Reed Hilderbrand includes an arcing path to the garden’s upper entrance through a grove of magnolias.

Longwood Gardens and Reed Hilderbrand consulted a team of preservationists throughout the process on the preservation treatment of Burle Marx’s only extant garden design in North America. They include: Anita Berrizbeitia of the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University; Charles Birnbaum, founder and CEO of The Cultural Landscape Foundation; Raymond Jungles, landscape architect and Burle Marx apprentice; and James Brayton Hall, President of the Garden Conservancy. In addition, Julio Ono and Gustavo Levias, of Studio Burle Marx, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

BONSAI COURTYARD

The new Bonsai Courtyard is a 12,500 square-foot outdoor gallery for the display and interpretation of this distinguished collection. The design employs a series of clipped hornbeam hedges to define the space and to develop rooms within it to display bonsai for contemplative viewing. Yakisugi (charred wood) walls, carefully proportioned cypress pedestals and cast stone panels offer multiple ways to curate the collection, displaying dozens of bonsai and highlighting their forms, foliage, and seasonal bloom.

The focused expression of craft in the garden’s details references both Japanese traditions and the artistry of the bonsai themselves. A grove of ten Yoshino cherry trees animate the garden, providing shade and intimacy to the experience of the bonsai.

The Bonsai Courtyard is home to 50 superlative specimens gifted to Longwood in 2022 by the Kennett Collection. The Kennett Collection is the finest and largest private collection of bonsai and bonsai-related objects outside of Asia and its specimens are notable for their lineage, including examples from many of Japan’s most famous nurseries, including the Chinsho-en nursery run by the Nakanishi family in Takamatsu.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE LANDSCAPE

The 17 acres of Longwood Reimagined also enrich the relationships between the Conservatories, new and old, and the wider landscape beyond, elevating the visitor experience throughout. In the character of Longwood’s historic landscape, trees provide the armature for moving to and among these new destinations in a variety of ways.

The Central Grove This new grove lies between the Main Conservatory and the West Conservatory, featuring an allée of ginkgo trees and understory of Lenten Rose and Christmas fern. Guests stroll this inviting space to access the Cascade Garden, the Bonsai Courtyard, and the Waterlily Court.

Conservatory Overlook A new Conservatory Overlook opened in May 2024 offers sweeping views of the Main Fountain Garden and its summer fountain shows from the broad stone step seating. A 700-foot-long promenade follows an allée of Yellowwood and Elm trees that stretch along the ridge, leading guests to the West Conservatory Plaza, where century-old London plane trees frame views of the iconic Brandywine Valley landscape.