Unique and Interesting Plants at Longwood Gardens
Visiting botanical gardens is a great way to learn about unique plants and gain inspiration for one's own plant collections.
A walk through the greenhouses and conservatories at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania offers visitors an amazing tour of diverse plant species in dazzling displays. Longwood Gardens features more than 20 outdoor gardens and 20 indoor gardens spread across more than 1100 acres - all meticulously maintained by hundreds of employees, students, and volunteers. If you're ever in the area, stop by. As I always say, "learn something new every day."
Enjoy these photos.
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- Longwood Gardens is open to visitors year-round where one can walk through its vast outdoor spaces or inside one of its many greenhouses. This is a beautifully planted allée of Japanese elm trees, Ulmus davidiana var. japonica ‘Morton’ – one of the more graceful elms endemic to parts of continental northeast Asia and Japan. Its leaves have already fallen for the season.
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- Longwood also has a mature topiary garden which includes more than 35 specimens of highly cultivated and groomed yews.
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- Inside this conservatory – something very familiar to me. Do you recognize this interesting specimen? This is a Bismarckia palm, Bismarckia nobilis, which grows from a solitary trunk, gray to tan in color, and slightly bulging at the base. The nearly rounded leaves are enormous and are divided to a third its length into 20 or more stiff, once-folded segments.
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- This is Aechmea ‘DeLeon’s Chantinii,’ a highly sought after bromeliad. The leaves are green with heavy white frosted banding and markings on both sides.
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- Earth-Star Cryptanthus bivittatus ‘Ruby’ is another evergrees bromeliad – this one with striking rosette-forming leaves that spread outward in a star pattern. The banded leaves typically range from green to pink to deep red.
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- Willow Leafe Spice Bush, Lindera angustifolia, is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub native to the mountain sloes of China. It’s known for its glossy green leaves that turn vibrant shades of orange-yellow and red in fall.
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- This interesting Aloe is ‘Blue Elf.’ It’s excellent for mass plantings. This Aloe is a hardy, heat loving hybrid with narrow, upright, blue-gray leaves that contrast nicely with its pale orange flower spikes.
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- Ever see a multi-fingered citrus? I have these in my greenhouse as well. These citron trees are trained with traditional espalier methods. The ancient horticultural technique involves growing trees, shrubs, and vines flat against some kind of support structure to maximize space and create an interesting appearance.
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- These espaliered fruits are hybrid kumquats, ‘Fukushu.’
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- This is called Lion’s-Tail, Leonotis leonurus. It is from the mint family and is a striking flowering shrub native to South Africa, known for its vibrant orange blooms and aromatic foliage.
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- This is a Torch Aloe, Aloe arborescens, which is a large evergreen succulent shrub featuring branching stems of gray-green rosettes and sword-shaped leaves. It can grow tall and wide, making it suitable for large, outdoor spaces and natural fences in the garden.
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- This Fan Aloe, Kumara plicatilis, has grey stems forked with clusters of round tipped leaves arranged in two opposite rows.
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- Another type of Aloe is Soap Aloe, Aloe maculata. This hardy succulent shows off rosettes of thick, lance shaped leaves that are green with white markings. The leaves have sharp eges that turn reddish in color when exposed to intense sunlight.
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- This plant is an ivy geranium, Pelargonium peltatum ‘Crocodile.’ It features rough textured green leaves with yellow white veins. Unlike some other geraniums which can handle higher heat and scorching sun, this one prefers some shade cover.
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- Hybrid spurge, Euphorbia ‘Miner’s Merlot’ has a lovely deep burgundy color. It is easy to care for and adds mounding texture to the garden.
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- Here’s another Euphorbia, Euphorbia esculenta. It is also known as Vingerpol Milkbush, a succulent shrub native to South Africa. It features thick, fleshy water storing stems. and small cascading leaves that produce yellow-green flowers when in bloom.
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- Maui wormwood, Artemisia mauiensis ‘Tnartms’ is a native Hawaiian plant loved for its silvery foliage and fine, soft texture. It is fast-growing, and heat and drought tolerant.
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- These are Silver Teaspoons, or Kalanchoe bracteata – aptly named because of the shape and color of its leaves. It can grow up to five feet tall.
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- Weeping Myall, Acacia pendula, is a species of wattle, which is native to Australia. It features pendulous branches with angled branchlets that are covered in short hairs.
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- This is called Mexican Fence Post Cactus, Pachycereus marginatus. This can grow up to heights of a one story building. It forms tall columns with green-gray ribs and sharp white spikes.
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- And this is Old Man of Peru Cactus, Espostoa melanostele. It is characterized by its dense cover of white, hairlike spines and very slow growth rate. If you can, stop in at a botanical garden this weekend and learn about its beautiful collections and interesting plant species.
Martha Pins
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