Longwood Gardens: American estates, built by industrial barons in the early 1900s, continue to awe and inspire gardeners today. This one was the obsession of Pierre Samuel du Pont - Brandywine, Pennsylvania - Cover Story

Flower & Garden Magazine, June-July, 1993 by Ellen Henke

Great Gardens of American estates help us understand America as a melting pot of garden styles from around the world. Longwood Gardens, located in the historic Brandywine Valley west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reflects a unique combination of French, Italian and English garden styles on American soils.

The gardens were the country home of Pierre Samuel du Pont, great-grandson of the French botanist who emigrated to America and founded the Du Pont Company. P.S., as he liked to be called, was an engineering genius, philanthropist and financier extraordinaire. By age 35 he was the recognized leader of the Du Pont Company as well as the family's industrial empire. Ultimately he became chairman of General Motors.

In 1906 du Pont purchased Peirce's Park, an arboretum planted in the early 19th century by twins Joshua and Samuel Peirce. Although the arboretum was the best of its kind at the time, the legacy of the two Quaker farmers had been neglected since their deaths and the trees were fated for a sawmill.

Gradually du Pont rejuvenated the trees. A small garden was laid out and even du Pont's family and friends participated in the planting and conversion of Peirce's Park into Longwood Gardens. Today, Peirce's Park is one section of an extraordinary horticultural display garden that encompasses more than 300 developed acres and 700 acres of meadow and woodland.

Although Longwood presents an overall sampling of garden styles, the atmosphere, with broad allees and magnificent vistas, is formal. Not far from the visitor center is the Flower Garden Walk, with voluptuous annuals and unique perennials cultivated to perfection. The Flower Garden Walk is a formal garden in the Victorian sense, requiring intensive labor and a continuous supply of bedding plants from the greenhouses to create a floral kaleidoscope. The presentation of seasonal plants here is excellent.

Following the path to the east, the mood of the garden changes to the 18th century England of landscape designers Capability Brown and Humphry Repton. The parklike setting of this part of the garden is reminiscent of naturalistic designs of English estate gardens, complete with a Love Temple reflected in the quiet water of the lake.

Farther along is one of the most memorable garden rooms at Longwood: the Italian Water Garden. The pools, inspired by the garden of the Villa Gamberaia near Florence, Italy, are flanked with ivy and feature 600 jets of water. The resulting water staircase adds its music and reflection to the harmony of the Renaissance style. Perfectly enclosed by clipped lindens on either side and clipped hemlocks at the far end, the mood here evokes the enclosures hidden within the woods at Versailles, France.

Following the path westward along the tranquil Rhododendron and Forest Walk, one comes to the conservatories, waterlily pools and the main fountain garden - the essence of Longwood Gardens. The four acres of gardens under glass in the Longwood conservatories feature thousands of flowers, seasonal displays, tropical plants, bonsai, cycads, espaliered fruit trees, orchids, bromeliads, plants of economic significance, carnivorous plants, palms, cacti, succulents and the greenest of winter lawns.

Of particular note are theme gardens created by contemporary designers. Isabelle Green from Santa Barbara, California, has created a sumptuous Silver Garden, while Ron Lutsko from San Francisco has designed a Mediterranean Garden. The Indoor Cascade Garden by the renowned Brazilian designer, Roberto Burle Marx, only recently opened. With more than 15 waterfalls, this vertical garden of Jush, tropical plants is as much an art form as any painting on canvas.

The classical architecture of the main conservatory reflects the opulence and taste of a bygone era. The great seasonal displays attract visitors from around the world. At Christmas, the dazzling poinsettia display is a sight to behold, but springtime bulbs combined with stately delphiniums will captivate your imagination of what a garden can be. Chrysanthemums will have a new meaning for you if you visit Longwood in autumn when they cascade and drape the main conservatory with golden color and fill the air with pungent fragrance.

Outside the rear door of the conservatory are many pools of water featuring tropical and hardy water lilies combined with other aquatics. The large-leaved |Longwood' hybrid water lily (Victoria x Longwood'), with leaves up to 88 inches in diameter, reigns supreme in the center pool. These huge, frost-tender plants (whose leaves are capable of supporting the weight of a baby) are grown annually from seeds.

The grand garden event at Longwood is the Main Fountain Garden in front of the conservatory. Formal in design, it encompasses five acres. The geometry of the layout is exacting, defined by trees and shrubs that are clipped into perfect shapes. The 350 fountainheads provide a show of garden theater at its finest, especially on selected summer nights when a fireworks display is combined with a sound-and-light show of the fountains.