The French Parterre Garden at "A Longwood Christmas"

We were absolutely wowed by this year's parterre garden 

exhibit at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA!

From several steps back, it appeared to be a lovely design painted on the floor.

On closer inspection, we saw that it was actually fruit 

and nuts artistically arranged and floating in water! 

So unique; I'd never seen anything like it.

In keeping with Longwood Gardens' French theme this year,

this stunning parterre was the perfect centerpiece

for the extremely popular event, "A Longwood Christmas."

The inspiration for this display came from Alice Du Pont's 1925 

visit to France with her fellow Garden Club of America members.

These are photos of her postcards showing the 

parterre gardens at a château they visited.

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"Parterre gardens" are formal arrangements of plant and flower beds 

in symmetrical patterns, often separated by hedges or stone borders.

They date back to France during the French Renaissance of the 15th century.

The custom wooden frame measures 75' x 40'.

longwoodgardens.org

By the numbers~

This magnificent display consists of 670,000 cranberries, 

8,000 Granny Smith apples, and 3,000 gilded walnuts that float in 3" of water.

The fruit is changed out through the season to keep it fresh, and then 

donated to local farms to use for compost or to feed their animals.

Wishing you a Joyeux Noël!

The Longwood Gardens website.

Visit my previous blog posts:
Dazzling Poinsettia Varieties at Longwood Gardens
A Stunning Christmas at Longwood Gardens - Kennett Square, PA
An Autumn Afternoon at Longwood Gardens

Dazzling Poinsettia Varieties of Longwood Gardens

Kennett Square, Pennsylvania is the home of the fabulous Longwood Gardens.

Folks come from near and far to take in the lush landscaping,
botanical gardens, and artistically arranged flowers and plants.

Each season of the year has a theme to feature what happens to be in bloom.

However, the Christmas display, "A Longwood Christmas," is in a league of its own.

It's truly over-the-top spectacular!

The crowning glory of the holiday is, without a doubt, the poinsettia.

Which is your favorite: red, white, or pink?

The traditionalist in me is tempted to choose red,
but after seeing so many unusual varieties today,
the choice has become anything but simple!

We decided that the vivid "Luv U Hot Pink" was our favorite!

My past blog features on Longwood Gardens:

A Stunning Christmas at Longwood Gardens - Kennett Square, PA
An Autumn Afternoon at Longwood Gardens


Karen and I are already planning our next visit!

Here's their website!

A Stunning Christmas at Longwood Gardens - Kennett Square, PA

A perfect outing to celebrate the Christmas season-

we traveled to Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

to take in the beauty of Longwood Gardens!

Longwood Gardens, as explained in its mission statement, is 

"the living legacy of Pierre S. du Pont, inspiring people through 

excellence in garden design, horticulture, education, and the arts."

A Longwood Christmas is a gorgeous display of

trees, flowers & foliage generously interspersed with lights 

that dares even the most stubborn Scrooge 

not to get into the holiday spirit!

above: This awesome 30' tall Living Tree is created with 1,300 potted plants.

below: One of many Christmas trees laden with ornaments for sale in the gift shop.

Poinsettias of every shade are no doubt the stars of the show.

Amarillys

Breathtaking ice-like chandeliers illuminate the sky-high ceilings

and fascinating architecture of the Conservatory, built in 1921.

Enormous hanging poinsettias dazzle from above.

Poinsettia wow-factor!

A lavish wreath in the Orchid House.

Delicate, feminine baby pink.

The Silver Room is always a favorite. We loved this 12' tree made of succulents!

Worth a closer look.

Air fern kissing balls.

A rich collection of succulents brilliantly arranged into a wreath.

The outdoor lighting has a magical, fairy tale feel!

Here's the Longwood Gardens website.

1001 Longwood Road
Kennett Square,  PA

You may be interested to see this post on another of my visits:

An Autumn Afternoon at Longwood Gardens

An Autumn Afternoon at Longwood Gardens

My friend Colleen and I set aside a day for an adventure.
We took a road trip to Kennett Square, PA 
to tour the fabulous Longwood Gardens!

There was beauty to be seen both inside and outside
with the autumn foliage just about at peak and
the Chrysanthemum Festival in progress.

One of the fun water features at the Indoor Children's Garden.

The Silver Garden is filled with plants that thrive in arid climates,

including cacti and succulents -all in shades of gray, silver, and pale greens & blues.

Irregular Incurve Mums

The Orchid House

The Waterlily Display

The Rose Garden - What gorgeous color!

The Topiary Garden

We loved walking along the pathways,

exploring every garden along the way and

continually marveling at God's artistic creativity!

The Canopy Cathedral

Nathaniel Hawthorne said,

"I can not endure to waste anything so precious

as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house,

so I have spent almost all the daylight hours in the open air."

This was my exact feeling; a day as glorious as this one 
deserved to be enjoyed to its fullest!

How wonderful to be outside in the crisp air 
with the bright sun to spotlight the colorful foliage!

One of my favorite sights this time of year is a tree erupting with

yellows and oranges against the backdrop of a perfect blue sky.

Does it get much better than this?

Longwood Gardens is at

1001 Longwood Rd. Kennett Square, PA.

Here's their website.

You'll love to see this post!
A Stunning Christmas at Longwood Gardens