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think the conservatory display is amazing. recall hearing once that Longwood would be the kind of place God would create----if He had the money, LOL.
Agree,the conservatory changes with each season. The Christmas tour is festive! And since it was the DuPont family that funds this lovely grounds and musical summer entertainment and fireworks...It's just an all around delight! I enjoy walking up the castle and seeing the view from there. Just lovely!
Never heard of Longwood before this thread. It does look beautiful in pics. Would love to visit it eventually, hopefully during a time when it's not too crowded. Lol
Thanks, peeps.
Migna, it's always nice to avoid the crowds and enjoy in relative privacy but then the problem is that beautiful and popular things (including beautiful gardens---and sometimes shopping malls, LOL) tend to attract admiring crowds and that's the rub. some considerations that may be of help are to come on a weekday before school vacations and before peak seasons in the garden---like holiday displays, first spring flower displays, the summer, and peak of fall color (if applicable) , come early or come late in the day (especially during "peak seasons") and especially to the most popular parts of the gardens like special conservatory displays. this of course may put you in an "off season" for some of the garden flowers and other things that make a garden especially attractive in the first place but you have a chance of seeing at least some things without the crowds. also remember that a number of beautiful gardens like the S.F., L.A., Huntington, and Longwood among no doubt others are quite large (many acres) and sometimes even with lots of people around you can find yourself with a section of the garden with nobody but you to enjoy it.
simply going on the particular garden's website or contacting them by phone or email you can find useful information as to when to go so as to achieve maximum enjoyment with minimum interaction with crowds.
hope this is of some help and please excuse me for telling you what you may already know.
Last edited by georgeinbandonoregon; 01-02-2018 at 08:59 AM..
I've found there is always something beautiful to see, regardless of the season. And all the better if I have it all to myself, in quiet solitude! I'm afraid I'm quite selfish in this regard. Lol.
I've found there is always something beautiful to see, regardless of the season. And all the better if I have it all to myself, in quiet solitude! I'm afraid I'm quite selfish in this regard. Lol.
totally get you on this. that said, sometimes our schedules don't allow us the luxury of "quiet solitude" in a major botanical garden so we make the best of what we can when we can. sometimes things may work out as we would like them to do---especially if the garden is less well known and somewhat away from the "big city". both times that I have been to Quarry hill botanical gardens gardens near Napa in the California wine country my wife and I had the place to ourselves to admire the many fine and rare Asian trees and shrubs (Idesia, Schima, Michelia, Magnolia, Viburnum, Quercus, Acer, etc., etc, in a beautiful setting of rolling hills and not seeing anybody except a gardener. of course that was in early spring in the middle of the work week when all the non-retired folks were doing what they needed to do while we were able to do what we wanted to do, LOL.
OTOH, visiting the UC Berkley botanical gardens we had to deal with many more people but the garden is fairly large and the hilly topography allows people to kind of blend in or disappear into the landscape and still allows a reasonable amount of space to enjoy the plants and plantings---once you get past the entrance and the gift shop where people tend to naturally congregate.
National Arboretum in Washington DC. Rather a public garden on steroids. Best azalea display in the country, and a wonderful asian section tumbling down a hill to the Potomic river. Wonderful dogwood, magnolia and crabapple displays. Best bonsai collection in the US. Best of all is the Herb garden, which is about an acre in size.
US Botanical Garden, Washington, DC
Fort Worth Botanical Garden - a smaller version
Tyler Rose Garden
Jardines de Sabatini, Madrid
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