Saturday, January 14, 2023

A Longwood Christmas 2022

 

They still need to dismantle the Christmas Tree in the Rockefeller Center, New York, so there must be time for one more Christmas post. It's become a tradition for Duane and me to go to Longwood Gardens for their Christmas event. This season we went just a few days before the display ended; Jonathan accompanied us. It was spectacular. As always, my iPhone photographs don't do justice. The article, The Art Behind the Lights, is on Longwood Garden's blog for great pictures and an exciting read. You can see the Rose Arbor lantern there. How could I stand and admire it and not take out my iPhone? 

 

When we first arrived, it was still light outside, so we strolled up the hill to the Conservatory, planning to enjoy the lights outdoors after dark. The 4.5-acre greenhouse contained stunning plants and displays, as always. The main exhibition hall was a delight of golds and reds reflected in the pool.

Exhibition Hall

My favorite plants were the lilies and orchids. I am not fond of the smell of lilies, but I must say the white ones were gorgeous. Walking down to the orchid house, we passed under living chandeliers that were another favorite, with their white orchids. I know I have a thing for white blooms.

 


My favorite display of all, however, was the floral shop. The designers of the clothes on the mannequins outdid themselves. And what about that armchair and cushion? Amazing!

The Floral Shop

As darkness fell, we went outdoors. With more than 50,000 lights, they had created a winter wonderland.



The fire pits throughout the gardens were welcoming on the cold night.


It was fun to walk through the tunnel in the meadow garden as the lights constantly changed color.

 

I was interested in the meadow at night. Small lights highlighted the plants, and the large tree in the distance was spectacular. I felt vindicated in leaving my meadow uncut when the plants died back. At Longwood, they use burning to clear the meadow in spring. I can't do that as my meadow is surrounded by wooden buildings. I will cut it down instead.

 

The Meadow

The Italian Garden

Walking back to the visitor's center.

 

We stayed at a nearby hotel overnight before driving Jon home. He returned to college at Pitt the next day, saying our little trip was a fantastic ending to his Christmas vacation. Happy New Year to all my gardening friends!

Love,

Pamela x



This morning, I found a snowdrop pushing its way up in the Serenity Garden! Only a gardener would show a poor picture like this, but you understand. I'm so excited about the new gardening season!

I love reading your comments. I hope you leave one so I’ll know you visited! 

I look forward to visiting your blog in return.

6 comments:

  1. Oh wow, thanks for sharing all the beauty! I can't wait to see Longwood Gardens at the Fling in September. I totally understand the last photo; I need to check mine, too. ;-)

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  2. Wow, fantastic. They certainly put on a fabulous Christmas event. It's like the final hurrah of the year before the new gardening season begins again.

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  3. Excellent that you were able to get this visit in before they put the decorations away, and it also looks like you had decent weather for it! Love the orchids.
    Your last photo looks like every photo I post this time of year. It's all about the excitement and promise of the new season :)

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  4. Thank you for capturing the essence of this beautiful place. I wish to someday go there myself.

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  5. How is your I was FIRST snowdrop today?

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  6. I’m sure your snowdrops have popped since then, and then some. We’ve had an early appearance by many spring bulbs, which brings me joy!

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