The Largest Botanical Garden In America Has The World’s Most Beautiful Plants
Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, isn't just America’s largest botanical garden, it’s a beautifully designed space where nature and art meet. With over 1,000 acres of formal gardens, woodlands, and meadows, it offers more than just a walk among flowers. Visitors come from around the world to see rare plants, seasonal displays, and truly innovative garden design. It’s a place to learn, to feel inspired, and to reconnect with the natural world.
Built for Wonder
Founded by Pierre S. du Pont in the early 1900s, Longwood was created to bring beauty and joy to others, and that legacy continues today. Its design invites you to explore, with pathways leading through fountains, greenhouses, and themed gardens. Every corner feels intentional. You're not just looking at plants, you’re experiencing how they interact with light, structure, and water. It’s beauty with purpose, and it’s everywhere you turn.
The Conservatory
At the heart of Longwood is a four-acre glasshouse that holds one of the most diverse plant collections in the country. You'll find desert succulents, tropical palms, rare orchids, and seasonal flower shows all under one roof. The air shifts as you move through each room, with some being warm and humid, others cool and dry. It’s an immersive experience that brings together global plant life in a way that feels close and personal.
A Living Performance Space
Longwood isn't quiet or still. Its famous fountain shows are choreographed to music and lights, drawing large crowds during summer evenings. They’re a type of performance really, blending water and art with impressive precision. The garden also hosts concerts, seasonal events, and other night-time illumination displays. Nature takes center stage, but it does so in a way that’s engaging, dynamic, and hard to forget.
A Place for All Seasons
From spring's tulip displays to autumn’s golden foliage and winter’s indoor exhibits, Longwood is designed to be enjoyed all year. Summer brings floral blooms at their peak of course, while December features a popular holiday display filled with decorated trees and shimmering lights. No matter when you go, the garden offers something new to see. Seasonal design is part of its rhythm, and each visit reveals a different side of the space.
More Than a Garden
Longwood is also a major force in education. It trains the next generation of horticulturists through its fellowship and internship programs. They also offer hands-on classes for beginners and professionals alike. Visitors can learn about plant care, landscape design, and environmental sustainability from resident experts. The garden acts as both a classroom and a lab, and it makes that knowledge accessible to anyone wanting to ask questions.
Ideas to Bring Home
Even though Longwood is large and grand, many of its design ideas are practical. Visitors often find inspiration in how plants are grouped, how color is used, and how garden spaces are framed. Whether you're tending a few pots on a balcony or dreaming up a backyard overhaul, Longwood offers examples that can be scaled to fit any home. Its beauty isn’t as out of reach as it may seem, so let it be a spark for your own creativity!
Longwood Gardens is more than the largest botanical garden in the country. It's a celebration of plants, people, and the way they shape each other. From world-class displays to peaceful paths and hands-on learning, it leaves a lasting impression. You don’t need to be a plant or gardening expert to enjoy it, you just need to show up and embrace the way it moves you, however that may be.