Lights, Music, Magic!

Longwood is known for its recently-restored, 10,010 pipe, Aeolian organ (the largest ever constructed in a residential setting). This summer, we’ve received a lot of attention for our premier exhibit, Light: Installations by Bruce Munro. But, did you know that there was a time in Longwood’s history when the spirit of these two crowd-pleasing attractions converged?

Mary Hallock Greenewalt (1871-1950) was a celebrated inventor of color organs, one of which she installed at Longwood in the 1920s. Her sister was Ethel Fleet Hallock (Mrs. William K. du Pont).

The concept of a “light color organ” was the brainchild of Mary Hallock Greenewalt, a distant relative of our founder, Pierre S. du Pont. Mrs. Greenewalt was an eccentric inventor and musician who was perhaps ahead of her time. Her invention mandated that each change in musical note or chord be accompanied by a distinct colored light—no small electrical feat, as the Longwood electricians who were tasked to build this invention would later find out!

Mr. du Pont paid $5,000 to have the instrument built, and it debuted at Longwood in 1926 in our Conservatory’s Exhibition Hall, with Mrs. Greenewalt playing the piano and Mr. du Pont’s chauffeur, Charles Mason, operating the board per her instructions. The local paper gave the performance enthusiastic reviews, but Mr. du Pont was not quite so impressed. He discouraged further concerts, saying that the space was needed for seasonal floral displays. Mrs. Greenewalt wanted to sell the instrument to the musical world, and at her request Mr. du Pont invited Mr. and Mrs. Leopold Stokowski of the Philadelphia Orchestra for an inspection and exhibition of the organ on May 19, 1926. There is no record of Stokowski’s reaction.

The cover from Mary Hallock Greenewalt’s 412-page book Nourathar, published in 1946. Mary wrote this book on color organs, a copy of which is in Longwood’s rare book collection.

From that point on, all kinds of problems arose. The Longwood model began to have electrical problems, as a result of dampness. There was increasing friction in agreeing which color combinations should be used for different music, and how the colors should be projected. Mr. du Pont’s steadily waning interest—plus the failure of the equipment to perform satisfactorily—prompted him to pack up the console and all the parts and ship them to Mrs. Greenewalt for use at the Century of Progress Exhibition at Chicago in 1933. The light color organ apparently was ahead of its time. But perhaps some of its spirit is captured in Bruce Munro’s Water Towers, which combine light, landscape and music to amazing effect!

Magic by Moonlight

Victoria ‘Longwood Hybrid’ in the center pool of Longwood’s Waterlily Display

The mysterious behavior of Victoria flowers has stirred people’s imagination ever since this giant water lily was introduced into cultivation in the mid-nineteenth century. Native to South America, Victoria evolved into two distinct species: Victoria amazonica inhabiting the backwaters of the Amazon and its tributaries and Victoria cruziana found further south, along Río Paraguay and Río Paraná.

The massive leaves of Victoria cruziana are valued for their high rims

The huge flowers of the Victoria reveal much about the ancient origin of waterlilies as some of the earliest flowering plants on earth. They open at sunset, spreading numerous white petals above water, providing a safe landing platform for nocturnal scarab beetles, which are notoriously clumsy fliers. Beetles are attracted to the flowers by the nutritious starchy appendages on which the insects feast. The appendages are tucked along the walls of a spacious floral chamber hidden below the many whorls of petals. The pollen grains delivered by the beetles fall to the floor of this chamber, where they germinate sending pollen tubes to fertilize ovules embedded in the spiny ovary underneath.

While the flower spreads its petals in the evening its temperature rises up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit above the ambient. This rare phenomenon facilitates the diffusion of the flower’s delightful and seductive fragrance, which guides the incoming beetles into the floral chamber and improves chances for successful pollination by keeping the insects warm and active throughout the night. In the morning, Victoria folds back its petals, closing the entrance to the floral chamber, effectively trapping the beetles inside. When the flower opens again the following evening, the most magical transformation takes place. The petals that were pure white the previous night are now variously suffused pink and purple.

Flower of Victoria ‘Longwood hybrid’ as it begins to close after its first night bloom

The color change is an indication that the flower is entering its male phase of development. The stamens—the male parts of the flower that circle the entrance to the floral chamber and were inactive on the first night—now shed pollen on the beetles scrambling out of the flower. Free at last, the beetles carry a new load of pollen to the next flower that opens that evening, thus assuring cross-pollination. Following the release of the beetles the flower closes for the second time and sinks under water never to be seen again. This mesmerizing ritual is repeated in the backwaters of South American rivers every night and has done so for millions of years.

The history, biology, and allure of the Victoria will be explored in my upcoming book, Victoria: The Seductress, which will be released in March of 2013. Visitors to Longwood can experience the mystery and the majesty of Victoria during a new exhibit produced by Longwood Gardens, opening in 2013. While visiting Longwood this summer, please be sure to spend some time in our Waterlily Garden, which reaches peak bloom in September, and enjoy the seduction of the Victoria for yourself.

UPDATE (May 2, 2013): Victoria: The Seductress is now available for sale online at shop.longwoodgardens.org

Our Global Garden

Aster tataricus ‘Jindai’ was acquired by Longwood Gardens from the Jindai Botanical Garden in Tokyo during a 1985 expedition to Japan.

At Longwood, we have established our very own definition of “a great garden of the world.” To us, greatness is defined by the ability to produce beautiful and timeless displays. But we also look beyond our own garden gates—to our relationship with international institutions—to help us define greatness. Many of the most important design, horticultural and educational contributions we have made would not have been achieved without our global partners.

Our beautiful horticultural displays are rooted in our plant exploration program—a  program that has prompted Longwood staff to travel to over 50 countries and introduce over 130 cultivated plant varieties. Plants collected during these expeditions now compose Longwood’s globally recognized plant collection. Furthermore, many of the plants released from our research and development program are now well known and economically important, such as the New Guinea Impatiens.  More recent global partnerships have resulted in our development and presentation of the rare Japanese Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum and Lilytopia, which was presented in partnership with the Dutch bulb industry.

According to Thomas Friedman,“the world is flat,” and all of us at Longwood have fully embraced our flat, globally connected world. We have been methodically evaluating, establishing, and defining meaningful relationships around the world. Recent new partnerships with the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden in Shenzhen, China and the National Parks Board of Singapore allow for the cooperative exchange of staff for professional development. We are excited to soon formalize our partnership with one of China’s newest public gardens, the Chenshan Botanical Garden in Shanghai. Our partnership with Chenshan will provide for the exchange of staff for professional development, support of educational programs, and scientific research.

Longwood has many other global partnerships not described here that we are grateful for, and we look forward to advancing our relationships with our partners. Our aim is that you, our guests and community, will reap the rewards through even better displays and programs. These relationships help all of us appreciate one another a bit better and acknowledge our shared responsibility in caring for our global garden.

Our American Elm: A Survivor’s Story

The American elm on the Cow Lot at Longwood Gardens, 1997 (photo: L. Albee)

The American elm was once a staple on the streets of America. Valued for its shade, beautiful branch structure, and its tough-as-nails reputation for growing just about anywhere it was planted, you could find this native tree ranging from Florida to some parts of southern Canada, and spreading as far west as North Dakota and Texas.

Municipalities thought they had found the perfect street tree until Dutch elm disease was introduced in the 1930’s—allegedly from elm wood that was shipped from overseas. The disease spread throughout the country, destroying the beauty of urban streets that were once lined with American elms. Today, small groups of elm trees can still be found in the woods or on the side of the road, but it is rare to find large specimens along streets or in landscapes.

The American elm on the Cow Lot at Longwood Gardens is the only straight species of American elm remaining in the Gardens. We believe the tree was planted in the early 1930’s as a mature specimen by Lewis and Valentine Company, from the James Duke estate in Somerville, New Jersey. Standing just outside the Visitor Center, this tree provides a majestic welcome to our guests, and gives everyone a taste of what’s to come as they begin their way through the Gardens.

A view of two American elms outside the Visitor Center, 1967

The walkway to the West as you exit the Visitor Center was once planted with elms on each side, creating a beautiful allee. Originally there were twelve trees lining the walkway, and all but one succumbed to Dutch elm disease (and possibly Elm Yellows). In an article written in 1986 for Longwood’s staff magazine, the author states, “The remaining elm is the sole example of its kind left on Longwood property and it remains a magnificent specimen, though its prospects’ for the future are doubtful.” With a future that was once unsure, the tree still stands twenty-three years later.

At the base of the tree you can see a large wound from a branch that tore down the trunk during a summer storm in 1998. Since then, the arborists take care to prune the tree almost every year to help reduce weight on the larger branches. We prune in the winter months to avoid when the elm bark beetles are active. The Integrated Pest Management crew here at Longwood Gardens takes preventative measures by doing soil injections every other year for elm scale and leaf hoppers, and monitoring for signs of Dutch elm disease.

Dutch elm disease is a fungus that gums up the xylem cells, blocking the upward movement of water and nutrients into infected tree branches. Since the water and nutrients are essentially turned off, the leaves start to wilt and the branch eventually dies. Over time the entire tree will die if it’s not treated. The carrier of the disease is the European and native elm bark beetle. Humans can also spread the disease by transporting infected wood to different areas for logging or firewood.

The next time you visit the Gardens, I hope you take a moment to stop and stand in the shade of this elegant and beautiful tree.

The remaining American elm at Longwood Gardens, 2012 (photo: L. Albee)

The Art of Grafting Chrysanthemums

Tri-colored dome chrysanthemum on display at Longwood Gardens, 2009 (photo: L. Albee)

Ever wonder what is going on in the greenhouses at this time of the year? While you are enjoying the beautiful summer display, Longwood’s growers are already getting ready for fall! One of our biggest projects at this time of year is to complete the grafting process that allows us to grow the large specialty chrysanthemums that will be on display during our Chrysanthemum Festival.

Grafting chrysanthemums is not a common subject you learn in school. We were taught this special technique from Chinese and Japanese specialty chrysanthemum growers, and use it to make eye-catching specialty mum forms for our display. Grafting mums is very common in China and has a long history, but there are no written records of when it started. In Japan, the first record is found on an 18th century Ukiyoe, a wooden block printing. We began practicing this new technique a couple of years ago and are continually learning and experimenting to create new forms.

During last year’s display, we had many different forms, including the tri-colored dome, 100-cultivar, pagoda, tri-colored shield, and pom-pom. We first trialed the tri-colored dome in 2008. You might remember the first one was not perfect, but with practice we are getting better. We saw our first pagoda shape in 1995 when somebody brought us a picture. We had no idea how to make it until we saw a Chinese display in 2010. We had tried various, small experiments but were unable to finish until we learned hands-on, and last year’s pagoda was our first on display.

100-cultivar chrysanthemum, 2011 (photo: L. Albee)

Pagoda chrysanthemum, 2011

Tri-colored shield chrysanthemum, 2011

Pom-pom chrysanthemum, 2011

We graft our chrysanthemums on two different stocks—either on chrysanthemum stock or Artemisia (Artemisia annua) stock. You may be familiar with Artemisia annua, commonly known as sweet Annie or annual wormwood. We use the Artemisia to get the benefit of its strong root system for summer heat, disease and insect resistance. It also has many side shoots that grow close together on the stem and a tall growth habit.

Artemesia with grafted mum tips

The grafting style we use is called “cleft style.” As you see in this video, we slice the stock stem down the center and insert the tapered grafting tip into the slit. Then we carefully wrap it with Parafilm, which is commonly used in laboratories. It holds the grafted tip tightly in place, seals the cutting area and helps the cut surfaces not to dry out. In two weeks, the tip tissue connects to the stock and it starts growing. The key to successful grafting is for the stock stem to be young and fresh (the inside green with no pith). Sometimes the Artemisia stem accepts the graft with some pith inside, but it’s difficult to get good results. Matching the stem thickness between stock stem and grafting tip is also important to connect the vascular systems together.

In hot and dry conditions, the grafted plants are kept under shade cloth and misted as needed. Sometimes, we use small plastic bags to keep the grafts moist. In this year’s wet and cloudy conditions, grafting is going well without misting or using the plastic bags, but it depends on the day.

A pagoda form with the grafts protected by plastic bags

Creating our specialty mum forms is a year-long process. For example, to make the pagoda form, we start Artemisia seeds in fall and grow in cool conditions. Then we graft the chrysanthemum tips in May and June, once the Artemisia stems get thick enough to match to the chrysanthemum shoot. As the Artemisia stems grow thicker, we will graft several chrysanthemum stems, according to thickness, at a time. We pinch the tips to promote more stems until the middle of July, and disbud to one flower in September. Just before flowering, we arrange the flowers to make the roof shape, using twist ties and bamboo.

Soon we will begin grafting the 100-cultivar chrysanthemum for this year’s display. Stay tuned to our blog for more on that later this summer!

Top 10 Plants for Night Gardens

When you hear the word “garden,” chances are you think of green plants and brightly colored flowers blooming under a bright sun. But did you know that there’s such a thing as a night garden, too—a garden is designed to thrill the senses when the sun has gone down, the air is cool and the bustle of the day has diminished?

Although our ability to see is limited during the night, plants with pale white or yellow blooms and silver foliage can reflect the moonlight in a way that dramatically transforms the landscape. Darkness serves to heighten our other senses in the moonlit garden: nocturnal blooms beckon with their heady fragrances and leaves rustle in the air, lending more enjoyment to the mysteries of night.

Create your own moonlit garden at home with the following plants:

Nicotiana sylvestris

Nicotiana sylvestris (flowering tobacco)

• A vivacious annual, this plant will grow up to 5’ tall in a season!
• Long, pendulous, trumpet-shaped flowers open in the evening and release a sweet fragrance
• Useful in the back of border or near the home where one can enjoy its fragrant blooms

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Nassella tenuissima (photo by Beverly Fitts)

Nassella tenuissima (white tussock)

• A delicate, fine-textured ornamental grass
• Silky, threadlike leaves and flower tufts shimmer silver in the moonlight

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Salvia argentea

Salvia argentea (silver sage)

• A striking perennial with large, silver basal leaves that looks spectacular in the moonlight
• Use this plant for dramatic foliage and bold texture

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Arundo donax ‘Variegata’

Arundo donax ‘Variegata’ (striped giant reed)

• Variegation picks up moonlight
• Can create dramatic bold shadows in the evening

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Angelonia angustifolia

Angelonia angustifolia ‘Cart White’ (Carita™)

• Easy bedding or container plant that will bloom all season

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Sansevieria trifasciata

Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Silver Queen’ (snake-plant)

• Strong linear and vertical lines
• Common indoor plant that can also be kept outside

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Centaurea cineraria ‘Colchester White’

Centaurea cineraria ‘Colchester White’ (dusty miller)

• Plant has silver, fine-textured foliage

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Thunbergia alata ‘White-Eyed Susie’

Thunbergia alata ‘White-Eyed Susie’ (black-eyed-Susan vine)

• Climber that blooms all season, both day and night
• Blooms are cheerful, 1.5” diameter with a bold black eye

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Athyrium ‘Ghost’ (photo by Beverly Fitts)

Athyrium ‘Ghost’ (painted fern)

• An option for shade or part-shade gardens
• Beautiful frond day and night

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Cleome hassleriana ‘White Queen’

Cleome hassleriana ‘White Queen’

• Classic plant or cottage garden annual
• Unique spider blooms are striking in day against green leaves and at night

For more design inspiration, visit us at Longwood Gardens, where all of these plants on on display, plus more night-blooming beauties. And while you’re here, don’t miss our new exhibition, Light: Installations by Bruce Munro, a whole new way to experience the Gardens at night.

Nighttime Photography Tips

Longwood Gardens can be a paradise for photographers, with acres of flowers in bloom, interesting architectural details around every corner, and stunning natural areas. This summer, with the opening of Light: Installations by Bruce Munro, our guests have yet another fascinating subject for their images. However, nighttime photography poses a unique set of challenges, and requires a much different approach than taking pictures during the day.

Check out our 10 tips to avoid blurry, washed out images:

1. Arrive Before Dusk  
As the Gardens transition from day to night, you will be able to capture images that not only show off the Light installations, but also show the silhouettes of trees, statues, and other Garden features—not to mention the beautiful sky during sunset.

Arrive before dusk to capture the landscape and sunset, in addition to the Light Installations

2. Turn off Your Flash  
As a courtesy to all guests, flash photography after dark is prohibited. Using your flash for evening shots will wash out the foreground and leave the background completely black. Refer to your manual for instructions on how to turn off the flash.

Using your flash will result in dark, lackluster images (Arrow Spring pictured)

This picture of Arrow Spring was taken without a flash, using a tripod and a long exposure

3. Hold Still!  
Capturing sharp images in low-light settings can be difficult. To get a sharp image, you will need to hold your camera as still as possible. Brace your arms against a surface (or yourself) and hold steady. If possible, brace your camera against a surface. Use the self-timer setting on your camera to give yourself time to brace your camera after you’ve pressed the shutter button. Or, for the best quality images, use a tripod or monopod.

4. Use a Tripod or Monopod  
Tripods, and to a lesser extent monopods, will allow you to capture the longer exposures needed for most nighttime photography. At twilight on a clear evening, a long, balanced exposure can capture a blue sky as well as the lights and the Gardens. Some lights may move on a windy evening and this will be reflected in long exposures. Be sure to obtain a permit for your tripod at the Information Desk in the Visitor Center. Tripods and monopods are allowed outside anytime with a permit and before noon inside the Conservatory.

5. Know Longwood’s Photo Policies  
Longwood Gardens encourages our guests to take casual photographs and videos of their visit for their own personal use. However, personal photographs and videos may not be used for commercial purposes. Additional restrictions may apply for performances (announcements will be made prior to each show). Tripods and monopods are not allowed during Fireworks & Fountains shows. Photography sessions must not interfere with the enjoyment of Longwood’s other guests. Longwood reserves the right to stop issuing tripod and monopod permits on high volume days. Visit our website to review our full photography policy.

6. Stay Focused
If your images are very blurry, the problem may be focus. This happens more often on close-up shots. Try to take several shots and step back or zoom out to see if focus works in some of them. If possible, turn off your auto-focus and adjust your camera’s focus manually.

7. Use the Manual or Low-Light Modes to Optimize Your Shots  
Generally newer and more expensive cameras will have a range of settings that can result in the best photographs. Quality lenses can be set to let in more light (a full open aperture, like 2.8 f-stop). Many recent cameras also can be set to be more light sensitive (“ISO” set to high number, like 800). This will allow shorter exposure times and reduce the effect of camera movement. Setting your ISO to a high number will make focus all the more critical and will shorten the depth of field. You may need to set your focus manually on your desired focal point, rather than relying on auto-focus.

8. Capture Your Friends & Family  
Look for ambient light (from lampposts or pathway lights) to help you capture the smiling faces of your friends and family. Using the flash will wash out their faces and make the installations in the background appear completely black. Try taking people as silhouettes, or take them inside the Conservatory. In dim light and without flash, your subjects will need to hold still.

Use ambient light, from pathway lights or lampposts, to help capture your friends and family

9. Experiment and Have Fun
Try to intentionally move the camera while taking the photo to capture artistic light patterns. Look for interesting reflections in our lakes or puddles on a rainy evening.

Experiment, have fun, and capture artistic light patterns!

10. Enjoy Your Surroundings  
Look up from your lens to stop, relax, and enjoy! Listen to the serenade of crickets, the soothing sounds of running water, and maybe even the hoot of an owl. Breathe in the fragrance of night-blooming flowers, and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you.

We love to see the Gardens through our guests’ lenses—please visit our Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages to share your pictures of the exhibition. Good luck, and we hope these tips will help you capture the installations just as you remember them—breathtaking!