Countdown to Lilytopia 2011

Bring your camera for stunning photographs

Towers of Lilies

In a few days, Longwood Gardens’ East Conservatory and Exhibition Hall will transform into the largest lily display in North America! For the second consecutive year, Longwood is partnering with Holland bulb breeders to showcase some of the most amazing cut lilies that you will ever see. Lilytopia begins this Friday, May 20, but the planning began a year ago. World renowned designer, Dorien van den Berg, created a breathtaking design that showcases over 11,000 cut lilies and—new this year—1,500 calla lilies.

Watch Dorien in action on the The Martha Stewart Show, sharing ideas for arranging calla lilies at home (don’t miss the last 30 seconds of the clip when Martha gives Longwood Gardens a shout-out!).

Dorien turned her design for Longwood over to our carpenters and sheet metal workers, and these gifted artists spent countless hours creating the wooden platforms and metal structures that will showcase the lilies on display in the Conservatory. See a photo album of last year’s display.

The lilies—some of the newest cultivars in the world—were grown by a number of different Holland growers, and the process of shipping the flowers from the greenhouses in Holland to the display at Longwood Gardens is following a carefully planned schedule.

Lilies being staged for packing and shipping - May 14

The lilies destined for the Lilytopia display were cut in the greenhouses on May 14 & 15, packaged in boxes, pre-inspected by the USDA, and then put on an airplane headed for the States. They will arrive at JFK airport on Monday, May 16, where they will first get checked by US Customs, and then put on a refrigerated truck headed to Longwood Gardens.

The 13,000 stems are scheduled to arrive at the Gardens early Tuesday morning, where a crew of Longwood employees and volunteers will be awaiting their arrival (caffeine in hand). The  lilies will be removed from their packaging and a new cut will be made on each stem to keep the flowers fresh. Then the stems will be put into tubs of water according to cultivar. From this point, the lilies will be transported directly to the Conservatory or put into a cooler until they are ready to be used.

Beautiful flowers and breathtaking fragrance

When the lilies are brought to the Conservatory, a large group of Longwood and Dutch florists will be ready to transform the lilies into a beautiful display.

In the East Conservatory, 17 massive, vase-like structures are being built in the flower beds to display lilies in a perfect form.

Around the Patio of Oranges, four “walls” of lilies will surround you with a mass of beautiful, fragrant blooms.

Several tall lily arches will make the perfect backdrop for photos, and some of the most interesting and unique cultivars will be showcased in individual glass vases.

This year, 12 towers of lilies, each nine feet tall, will be displayed on the Exhibition Hall floor in the Conservatory. These towers make a great addition to Lilytopia because they will allow you to walk right up to the lilies and take in the wonderful fragrance. For the photographers out there, the towers also provide a chance to get up close for stunning macro shots.

Around the Exhibition Hall, there will be even more individual vases of unusual lily cultivars so that you can deliberate with your family and friends about which are your favorites. And don’t miss the other addition to this year’s exhibit, a display of calla lilies that will greet you as you enter our new Green Wall corridor. Callas are one of my favorite flowers, so I am very excited to see the many different cultivars grown by the Holland breeders.

Vase-like structures overflowing with lilies

Lilytopia runs from May 20–30, 2011. Be sure to plan a visit during these 10 days so that you don’t miss seeing this amazing display. I promise that you will be amazed by the beauty and variety of these flowers. You will even be able to take a home a momento from Lilytopia when you visit our Special Events Pavilion. Bulb suppliers will have your favorite lily bulbs for sale so you can enjoy these beautiful flowers in your own garden.

Read Full Post »

Experience Lilytopia at Longwood Gardens

A wall of lilies on display in the Conservatory

On Friday, May 21, 2010, Longwood Garden’s newest event Lilytopia opens its doors. Lilytopia celebrates the new golden age of lily hybridizing and serves as a showcase of the latest products of the Dutch lily breeding efforts.

At its core, Lilytopia is an exciting flower exhibition featuring more than 10,000 cut flowers and potted lilies on display in the East Conservatory and selected areas throughout the Gardens. The show designer is Dorien van den Berg, one of Holland’s most creative floral designers and designer of the Keukenhof’s famous annual “Lily Show.” Her design uses the amazing space of the East Conservatory to its fullest.  Towering columns of lily “tree forms,” lily walls, and enormous vases filled with flowers, are arranged to celebrate the beauty of Lilies.  Dorien visited Longwood Gardens several times before designing the show.  The result will be breathtaking and nothing short of astonishing.  In preparation for the show, Dorien included a special trip to Italy to select glasswork and pottery. Craftsmen manufactured the display metal work, each element carefully selected for its beauty and ability to highlight the splendor of the flowers.  The materials and lily cultivars were carefully selected to complement a design that balances color, texture and fragrance to transform the Conservatory into a true Lilytopia.  

Gardeners installing a "Lily Tree" in the East Conservatory

Recent hybridizing efforts have truly created a new golden age of lilies, with a wide assortment of cultivars boasting attributes such as new colors and patterns, double-flowered blooms, refined and pleasing fragrance, and scentless and even pollenless cultivars.  There are cultivars to please even the most sophisticated taste.  The blooms occupy center stage; however, the concept is comprehensive, including educational, professional, arts and entertainment, and cultural components.  The idea is also holistic, showing the newest lily hybrids arranged in floral designs that fuse the American zeitgeist with global trends, creating an experience that transcends both.  The result should inspire both consumers and professionals.  

Lily arrangements being prepared for the display

At this point, the plan is completed and implementation of the show is well under way! We are using an estimated 50,000 stems of display-grade lilies.  Display-grade lilies are the highest quality grade flowers—a grade rarely seen outside of the Netherlands.  These flowers are grown every year for the Keukenhof “Lily Show” and starting this year the tradition includes Longwood Garden’s Lilytopia.  Lilies slated for a show need to be harvested at just the right time.  Certainly lilies can be stored in refrigerated coolers, however longevity of the cut flower may be reduced.  Therefore we are planning on installing lilies that were harvested just hours before in Holland.  An extensive logistical network of breeding houses, warehouse and shipping facilities, airports, export agents, import and shipping companies, government agencies, and trucking companies have been lined up to ensure a safe and speedy transportation of the flowers.  Due to timing issues in Holland, some cultivars intended to go to the Keukenhof show will not bloom in time.  But they will be ready for Lilytopia, making our show, in its inception year, one of the most comprehensive lily shows in the world.  We are pleased to work with our Dutch partners to present visitors with extraordinary flowers right here in the USA.  We are also pleased to be working together with the Keukenhof to present North American growers and lily lovers with the largest living catalog of the best cultivars available anywhere. In addition, during Lilytopia select flowers and bulbs may be purchased directly from our Dutch partner, so guests can grow spectacular lilies in their home gardens. The Lilytopia display will be on view for the public May 21 through 31, 2010.  

The East Conservatory is currently being transformed into a "Lilytopia," opening May 21.

Read Full Post »