Upside-down fern, Arachniodes standishii, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, USA
Image details
Contributor:
B.O'Kane / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
DH0MR6File size:
63.3 MB (3.2 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
3840 x 5759 px | 32.5 x 48.8 cm | 12.8 x 19.2 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
30 September 2013Location:
Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, USAMore information:
Longwood Gardens consists of over 1, 077 acres (4.2 km²) of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, United States in the Brandywine Creek Valley. It is one of the premier botanical gardens in the United States and is open to visitors year-round to enjoy exotic plants and horticulture (both indoor and outdoor), events and performances, seasonal and themed attractions, as well as take part in educational lectures, courses, and workshops. What is now Longwood Gardens was originally purchased from William Penn in 1700 by a fellow Quaker named George Peirce (1646–1734). Although it started as a working farm, in 1798 twin brothers Joshua and Samuel Peirce planted the first specimens of an arboretum there, originally named Peirce's Park, and it has been open to the public almost continuously since that time. By 1850, they had amassed one of the finest collections of trees in the nation. Industrialist Pierre S. du Pont (1870–1954) purchased the property from the Peirce family in 1906 to save the arboretum from being sold for lumber.[6] He made it his private estate, and from 1906 until the 1930s, du Pont added extensively to the property. Du Pont was often inspired to add features to the garden, the most notable additions being the massive conservatory and the extensive system of fountains. Following the completion of the fountains, du Pont began planning for the sustained life of Longwood Gardens after his death. According to his will, filed in Delaware and dated March 21, 1946, he founded Longwood Foundation Inc. and left most of his estate "for the maintenance and improvement of the gardens." Today the 1, 077-plus acre Longwood Gardens consists of 20 outdoor gardens and 20 indoor gardens within 4.5 acres (18, 200 m²) of heated greenhouses, known as conservatories.