A GEM OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON

By Lisa Derx

My husband loves holiday lights. I love flowers. So one of the highlights of our year is visiting Longwood Gardens for their holiday display, which beautifully combines both of our passions.

Longwood Gardens is a public garden of over 1,000 acres in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. First owned by a Quaker farmer named George Peirce, it passed through his children and grandchildren, two of whom began planting trees for an arboretum. It was saved from destruction in 1906 when Pierre DuPont – yes, of the famous DuPont family – purchased it when he learned a lumber company was planning to cut down all the trees.

DuPont used his property and the extensive gardens and fountains he added to entertain family, friends, and employees, often to great acclaim. In 1921, he created the Longwood Foundation and opened the gardens to everyone. Every Christmas, he entertained employees with a beautiful tree, lights, and gifts for all, and it is here that the Longwood Christmas has its beginnings.  

Each year, the gardens both outdoors and indoors are transformed into a wonderland of lights, sound, and gorgeous floral and greenery displays. In the conservatories, multiple trees are decorated to dazzle, and paperwhites, poinsettias, amaryllis, and more are blooming throughout the season.

According to Jim Sutton, Associate Director Display/Design at Longwood, over 600,000 people will visit Longwood from Thanksgiving to early January to see the sights. The theme this year is, “A Gem of A Holiday Season” and jewel tones of ruby red, emerald green, and sapphire blue will be featured.

Planning for each year begins at least one year in advance.

“We look at other places to see what they are doing, what new technology there is, and we review current lights to see what we like, what we want to repeat, what we want to enhance, what we want to stop,” Sutton said.

There are 23 teams that are each assigned to a specific area indoors or out.

“I make sure it all looks cohesive,” Sutton said. ”We don’t want to do the same thing over and over again. We pick the theme a year ahead of time, and we give inspirational slides and a tagline, and the team leaders show me ideas.” 

Working with an arborist who helps ensure they climb trees with no damage to the tree to hang lights, and with the electrical team, the crew begins the outdoor installations in summer.

 “We’ve been putting lights up since August, and we will be done in early October. Then we review and see what things we like. By the end of October, all that can be pre-lit is pre-lit, and we’re moving on to last minute things,” Sutton explained.

The display opens to the public Nov. 21 and runs through Jan. 11, 2026.

Longwood uses over half-a-million lights each year, over 50 miles of lights if they were all connected, according to Sutton. They now use LED lights that last, on average, five years. Hundreds of glass ornaments are stored so they can be reused in other years. Volunteers help dismantle after the holidays, and every strand and ornament is labeled and packed carefully away.

“Volunteers are integral to every part of Longwood,” Sutton noted.

Despite the display being available for nearly two months, tickets do sell out. Sutton advises buying early.

“It is the same display on weekdays as on weekends,” Sutton said. “The week between Christmas and New Year’s is our busiest week, so avoid that if you can. Book your tickets early, online. They are timed tickets for each day.”

Even as this year’s display is not yet open, Sutton is thinking of those to come.

“I have a record of all the themes and displays going back 30 years,” he said. “To date, I have not repeated a theme. Working with the team, and knowing that what we are creating brings joy to hundreds of thousands of people keeps it exciting. It is a great tradition, and I enjoy going around and hearing how people react.”

I can attest to how quickly tickets sell out, but keep trying, as it is well-worth the approximately two-hour drive from the Baltimore-Washington area. Food and beverages are available both indoors and out, and the well-stocked gift shop is a treasure. To book tickets, visit www.longwoodgardens.org or call 610-388-1000.

Do you have a favorite memory of Longwood Gardens? Tell me about it at [email protected].

Lisa Derx is Membership Chair for the National Capital Dahlia Society, President of Chesapeake Flower Exchange, Local Flowers Liaison for the Independent Floral Designers Association, and a member of the Association of Specialty Cut Flowers and the Maryland Cut Flower Growers Association. Her home is in Dayton, Maryland, where she grows flowers with her husband Dan and cat Sebastian.