July 15: An overwhelmingly enormous and gorgeous garden

[mmegaera]

Today was the day I finally got to go see Longwood. Katrina’s been posting photos of the huge estate garden originally owned and developed by Pierre DuPont back around the turn of the last century for a long, long time, and I have been drooling over same about that long. At any rate, I’ve been wanting to see Longwood for years, and it was the one thing I wanted to be sure and do while I was visiting here.

It’s a two-hour drive up across the Pennsylvania border to Longwood, and on the way we stopped at a place where Katrina knew of eagles. We saw several, and this is the best photo I got (cropped and enlarged to a faretheewell) of a baby eagle.

See the immature eagle? Although he does seem to be behaving himself.

Then it was on to Longwood, where we spent the rest of the day walking around in the 90dF humidity looking at everything. We ate lunch there, and got ice cream, and stayed until almost dark. I was absolutely exhausted by the time we left (according to Teri’s phone, we walked over five miles), but it was so worth it. What a gorgeous, gorgeous place. I think I’ll let some of the almost 300 photos I took speak for themselves.

The rainbow border. It runs from blue flowers on one end to red ones on the other. It’s *amazing* and long, and there were so many flowers that I don’t normally see because the climate’s so different.

I don’t remember exactly where this little dude was, but he was adorable.

The other end of the rainbow borders.

And one of a bed of gorgeous red cockscomb blossoms.

This little fellow is an anglewing butterfly. He was along one of the walkways.

A variegated hydrangea.

The Italian water garden.

One of many, many in full bloom waterlilies in the conservatory courtyard.

A lotus growing with the waterlilies. I don’t think I’ve *ever* seen a lotus in blossom before.

One of the many, many tropical plants in The Conservatory That Ate New York. Seriously, you could have fit twenty little Tacoma Seymour conservatories in it and still have room left over.

A rainbow sherbet hibiscus flower in the conservatory (there were a dozen different kinds of hibiscuses there).

The meadows. Which were also full of flowers.

A whole bunch of liatris in the meadows.

This is the atrium of Mr. DuPont’s house, and the biggest split-leaf philodendron I’ve ever seen.

Purple martin houses fully occupied in the idea gardens.

Flower beds in the idea garden.

And on the way back to Teri’s house we drove over the Susquehanna River at sunset. It was a great ending for the day.

The Susquehanna River at sunset.

Mirrored from M.M. Justus -- adventures in the supernatural Old West.

Comments

[hedda62]

Longwood is lovely! Though I have to say it's my second favorite garden in Pennsylvania - and Friday I was at Chanticleer, which is #1, and you can see all of it in two hours. (Posted about here.) Glad your travels continue interesting!

[mmegaera]

Oh, my. *More* gardens!