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Contact: Pam Carter
Elizabeth Sullivan
(610) 388-1000
KENNETT SQUARE, PA – Longwood Gardens welcomes Wind in the Willows for the 2000 Chrysanthemum Festival, October 21-November 19, at the 1,050-acre horticultural showplace near Kennett Square, PA. Visitors can find topiary characters from the classic children’s book by Kenneth Grahame throughout the four-acre Conservatory. Toad, Rat, Mole, and the other animals are fashioned entirely from plant material. The storybook scenes are staged against a living backdrop of 20,000 chrysanthemums in many colors, sizes, and shapes.
As a variation on the theme, an intriguing exhibit of willow baskets by Bonnie Gale and willow garden furniture and structures by Anne Roberts of Feir Mill Design, Inc., are on display during the Festival. An outdoor willow sculpture by Steve Pickup invites visitors to explore playful spaces defined by living willow walls. Weekdays offer children’s storytimes, behind-the-scenes talks, gardening tips, and cooking demonstrations. Entertainment on weekends includes activities and games in "Toad Hall," family concerts by noted folk musicians, strolling puppet theatre, and performances of scenes and songs inspired by Grahame’s Wind in the Willows.
Longwood’s outdoor gardens and Conservatory open daily at 9 am and 10 am, respectively, and both close at 5 pm (6 pm in October). The Terrace Restaurant is open daily for full and self-service dining. The Gardens Shop is also open daily. Admission is $12 for adults ($8 on Tuesdays), $6 for ages 16-20, $2 for ages 6-15, and free under age 6.
For information, call 610-388-1000 or write to: Longwood Gardens, PO Box 501, Kennett Square PA 19348-0501. For recorded information from phones in the mid-Atlantic region (CT to VA), call 800-737-5500. Visit Longwood online at www.longwoodgardens.org. Longwood is on US Route 1 near Kennett Square, PA, 30 miles west of Philadelphia in the historic Brandywine Valley of southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware.
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EDITORS NOTE: PHOTOS AND SLIDES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
