03/05/2026
During the off season, we dedicate time to continuing education and drawing inspiration from some of the world’s most extraordinary gardens. This past week, that pursuit took us to Philadelphia for the 2026 Philadelphia Flower Show — and then on to one of America’s greatest living landscapes: Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
The Philadelphia Flower Show is the oldest and largest indoor horticultural event in the world, with roots stretching back to 1829 — nearly two centuries of showcasing the very best in botanical artistry and design. What started as a one-day exhibition in a modest 82-by-69-foot Masonic Hall has grown into an international spectacle drawing tens of thousands of visitors each year. Notably, the poinsettia made its North American debut at the very first show , introduced by diplomat Joel Roberts Poinsett from Mexico. This year’s theme, “Rooted: Origins of American Gardening,” takes flower enthusiasts on a journey through the history of American gardening, timed to coincide with the nation’s semiquincentennial celebrations in 2026. It’s the final chapter of a three-year series — having explored the future in 2025 and the present in 2024, this year the show looks back at the horticultural legacies and cultural traditions that shaped American gardens as we know them today.
From Philadelphia, we made the short drive south to Kennett Square for a visit to Longwood Gardens — and what a visit it was. The origins of Longwood trace all the way back to 1700, when Quaker farmer George Peirce purchased 402 acres from William Penn’s commissioners. By the late 1700s, his descendants had established one of the nation’s premier tree collections on the property. In the early 20th century, a lumber mill operator was on the verge of cutting those historic trees down for timber — until 36-year-old industrialist Pierre S. du Pont stepped in and purchased the farm in 1906, primarily just to save the trees. What began as a conservation impulse grew into something far grander. Du Pont followed no grand plan, building the gardens piecemeal, beginning with the Flower Garden Walk, and later drawing heavily on Italian and French forms he encountered in his travels. Today, Longwood encompasses 1,100 acres of gardens, woodlands, meadows, and fountains — including a 10,010-pipe Aeolian organ and a 4.5-acre conservatory — and welcomes more than 1.5 million guests each year. It’s also worth noting that the land once served as a station on the Underground Railroad, where Quakers sheltered enslaved people fleeing north — a reminder that the ground beneath all that beauty carries a powerful history of its own.