Those individuals in charge of maintaining Longwood Gardens do amazing work. The gardens possess breathtaking beauty and we spent a very pleasant day wandering through the various sections of the grounds.
I believe, however, that the gardens miss a couple of great opportunities for historical interpretation. Perhaps the most glaring is the Peirce-du Pont House, a historic house originally built on the property in 1730. The house contains an exhibition detailing the history of the gardens and of their original owner, Pierre du Pont. The garden's story certainly needs to be told but I would have loved to have also learned about the house. A structure built so long ago deserves to be interpreted in its own right, rather than simply serving as the setting for a generic history of the gardens.
But I cannot criticize without also giving credit where it is due. Longwood Gardens has no shortage of fascinating signage, in addition to the beautiful plants and flowers. My favorite signs pointed out the various forms of Integrated Pest Management practiced by the gardens. For example, in the lily pad section of the conservatory, a small fish has been introduced to the pools of water to help contain mosquitos and other insects. The collections manager in me finds these tidbits extremely interesting. Plus, the lily pads have a beauty unlike that of most other plants.
Plan a visit to Longwood Gardens, especially if you have not visited for many years. I loved resurrecting memories of an earlier trip which I had long since forgotten.
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