The Longwood Gardens Experience

The only adjectives I could come up with to describe my trip to Longwood Gardens are the ones that sound more like a health scare, “heart stopping” and “breath taking”. My beloved Aunt, who lives merely minutes from the famous garden, had invited me to come visit and she wanted to take me there. An avid planter lover herself, she frequented often. So I didn’t think twice or even consider the 8-hour drive. I loved spending time with her when we could and now, I got to experience Longwood Gardens with her. A double treat!

Monty Don himself, from BBC’s Gardener World had even flown to the states to visit the world famous garden. I had seen the episode and recalled during our visit his “around every corner is a super sized surprise” statement and thought, “wow”, he was not kidding. I could not have prepared for the magnitude of Longwood. From the expanse of the conservatories, the garden trails and Italian influenced fountain gardens, the visual overload is something I will have to prepare for next time by scheduling Longwood in 2 days as opposed to 1 or invest in a great pair of walking shoes. Four hours are recommended for the park visit but we covered as much territory as our feet allowed without complaining and promised each other we would make reservations for the Christmas event held there. I even fantasized what it would be like to actually be a volunteer there. Stepping onto the grounds daily would be like kissing the regular world goodbye for the day. Nevertheless, if that’s not something that ever happens, a yearly visit (or two) with my wonderful plant enthusiast aunt would suffice because you could never tire of Longwood Gardens.