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Contact: Pam Carter
Elizabeth Sullivan
(610) 388-1000
KENNETT SQUARE, PA -- Longwood Gardens near Kennett Square, PA, celebrates the holidays November 23-January 7, 2001. Thousands of poinsettias accented with tulips, Dutch iris, cyclamens, and many other brilliant flowers flourish inside the Conservatory’s 18 glasshouses. Horticultural holiday finery, including swags of exotic plants, living wreaths, and trees decorated by area designers and elementary schools, festoon the garden rooms. In the Conservatory Music Room, Old World roots sprout new American leaves in a tableau depicting the holiday celebration of a present-day Brandywine Valley family. The decorations reflect the family’s European ancestry. From the 16-foot evergreen embellished heavily with German and Polish ornaments, to the seven-foot Italian ceppo or pyramid tree, the room is a fusion of several countries. A French centerpiece graces the dinner table with a miniature garden made from sculpted sugar and flowers, and cut fruit tree branches coaxed into bloom suggest a Netherlands influence.
Longwood works its garden magic outdoors, too, conjuring up topiary reindeer and fountains dancing to holiday music. After dark, huge starry snowflakes seem to fall from the sky, and 400,000 tiny lights glow in the trees, while white roses and hyacinths fashioned from lights bloom in the gardens. The wildlife have their own tree hung with edible ornaments near the Peirce-du Pont House, which is also decorated for the season.
Music is a timeless holiday gift at Longwood. Ballroom concerts include afternoon organ sing-alongs, evening organ concerts, and performances by area choral groups. On weekends, strolling singers perform Yuletide carols in Victorian attire.
To avoid crowds, it is best to visit early in the season and on weekdays. Weekends and the week between Christmas and New Year’s are traditionally very busy. Longwood Gardens is located on US Route 1, three miles northeast of Kennett Square and 30 miles west of Philadelphia in the historic Brandywine Valley.
The outdoor gardens and Conservatory open at 9 am and 10 am, respectively, and both close at 9 pm during the holiday season. Admission prices are $12 for adults ($8 on Tuesdays), $6 ages 16-20, $2 ages 6-15, and free under age 6.
For more 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 (Connecticut to Virginia), call 800-737-5500. Complete information is also available online at www.longwoodgardens.org.
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