Come Journey With me Through a Secret Garden
May 17th, 2008 by admin
Once upon a time…
There was a beautiful garden, found tucked away, deep in a wooded valley.
Journey with me through this wondrous secret garden treasure.
This is the story of Longwood, as seen through my eyes…
* All pictures by Pearl Sanborn (that’s me ;)
I was very thankful to be able to spend the day at Longwood gardens with my parents, and my daughter. We had such a wonderful time, and the day could not have been more beautiful!
I highly suggest that you spend the day at Longwood, should you ever have the chance. I’ve been able to visit during 2 different times of the year, and so far, Spring is my favorite! BUT… if I lived closer, I would get the yearly pass, so I could visit very often!
Because the gardens & greenhouses are situated on 300 acres, I would suggest wearing a pair of your most comfortable shoes. I would also suggest bringing; sunscreen, a bottle of water, your camera, and a friend to share the day with!
Longwood Gardens
The Story of how Longwood Began
Oh did you pull at my heart’s strings today! My great grandfather was an engineer there and helped create all those fountains. My father practically grew up there and ran the grounds, creating magical childhood memories. He would sit on Mr. DuPont’s lap at the Christmas parties and remembers him as such a kind man. He and my great grandfather would run the fountain show at the ampitheater and one night, my father turned all the lights orange by mistake. lol Not that the audience knew. :) Employees were given houses to live in that surround the gardens- so many family pictures were taken on the front steps of that gorgeous house. My great grandfather loved gardening so much that even though landscaping and care was provided for the employees, he did it himself. I lived in Chadds Ford for 8 years, so I have my own childhood memories there too. I saw the Wizard of Oz in the greenhouse, Brigadoon in the ampitheater, and did charity work at a fashion show there. Not to mention just going there to breathe it all in. And today, even though I’m in the desert heat of Arizona, you let me breathe it all in again. THANK YOU!!
Mere
Mere ~
How wonderful your childhood sounds! I can just imagine how it must have been to see those productions there at Longwood! Perhaps I will have that chance sometime in the future! My children, all being in theatre, would love it as well!
Do you have any pictures from those times?
Pearl
Very lovely journey through the secret garden! Thank you for inviting me and taking me along!!!!!~
Just gorgeous. Thanks so much for the slideshow! My husband and I had our first official date at Longwood Gardens. It will always hold a special place in my heart. :-) Rosie
What a wonderfully romantic time you must have had! And cheers to your man who helped make it happen… I’m sure he earned lots of “romance” points for that date ;)
Thank you Pearl for the beautiful photos from Longwood Gardens! They are breath-taking-just what I needed on a rainy day in Ohio. Bobbi
The garden looks amazing. I would love to tour the property.
Charming photos.
Thanks for sharing.
KayEllen
That is beautiful Pearl! Oh my gosh, I wish I lived closer and could go there. It will have to be on my list of places I NEED to visit. Thank you for the lovely slide show.
Hi Pearl!!! What a gorgeous garden! The color combinations and the structures are just breathtaking, you did a wonderful job with your photo taking too! Really liked your use of a slide show. What a treat!! Sounds like it was a wonderful memory for you and your family :)thank you for sharing them with us :)
~*~*~* Madai
Thank you Madai!!
It was such a wonderful day! Like I said… if I lived closer, I would have a year long pass, so I could visit VERY often!
Pearl
There are no words! Thank you for sharing.
Pearl these pictures are so beautiful. It brightened up a very dreary colder then usual day in May here in N.J.
Thanks for posting them for us.
Michele
What an incredible garden! Your photos are awesome…..I can sit here and view all day long….oops - the pesty job gets in the way.
Thanks!
Breathtaking! Just breathtaking, thank you for sharing such beautiful photo’s.
These photos are beautiful and inspiring, I haven’t seen so many tulips ever! Love gardens, will visit some this summer but here in Sweden of course.
Thanks for sharing!
WOW….beyond gorgeous! The flowers are amazing! Great photos
My husband and I were there last autumn on vacation and now I know we will have to go back in the spring sometime! Thanks for the pictures to entice us…..
The pictures of their display at Christmas are as equally gorgeous… so I must find time to go visit during that season as well!
Pearl
What an amazing garden. Reminded me so much of Kuekenhof Gardens in Holland in the springtime! Thank you so much for such a lovely stroll.
Oh … I wish I could come along!
Pearl
A recent question I received:
Pearl,
What dates exactly did you visit Longwood? I want to time our visit in a future year for the tulips. We were there last year in the fall and saw them planting all the bulbs.
Thanks, Lori
…………..
* We went on the weekend of April 18th.
It was GORGEOUS! We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day!
They have something different growing & blooming all the time. You can
also check out their site to see what’s currently in bloom.
I hope you enjoyed my little tour ;)
Pearl
Beautiful! Jen R
Majectic photos. Simply divine. Surely that is what heaven looks like.
Does anyone know what that white tree is?? It’s just breathtaking!!