Longwood Gardens, Day 2

After an amazing first day at Longwood Gardens, we were back for a second day to see as much as we possibly could. We started the day with a tour of the Conservatory complex which houses a huge range of plants under glass. Speaking of huge, the structure itself was truly gigantic. 

The complex consists of a range of climatic zones including tropical, arid and dry temperate. It also included more unusual features not normally seen in a glasshouse, such as a lawn, although I was told later on by the manager of the turf areas, that "grass under glass is a pain in the ass"!

Particular highlights of the conservatory tour included the bonsai area and behind the scenes where we were shown Victoria (Giant Water Lillies) being grown in water tanks, soon to be moved out to their display areas. These Victoria's included the Longwood Hybrid which the gardens are particularly well known for. 

After we finished the conservatory tour, we gave a 'brown bag lunchtime talk' to the staff at Longwood about the RHS and why we are here in the USA. It was very enjoyable to be able to share information about the RHS and what we do to the audience listening to us. After we had finished our talk, we were invited to have lunch with some of the staff and were treated to delicious food laid on by Longwood. 

Following lunch, we had a tour of the composting facility and the research area of Longwood, both of which are located about a 5 min drive away from the main garden. 

 Finally, to end a great day, we were brought to a restaurant called 'Harvest Seasonal Grill' which served fantastic food and was generously paid for by Longwood. Here, we said goodbye to Doug Needham and Brian Trader who work at Longwood and without whom none of this would have been possible. 

Our two days at Longwood have been an experience that none of us will ever forget. The staff and students were all so friendly and we have been shown so much in such a short space of time. Longwood has been amazingly hospitable to us and we are all truly grateful for this and the opportunities given to us in the past two days.  

Tom King, Longwood Gardens, Philadelphia, 05/05/2015