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“A
little piece of heaven” by Norman Fulkerson The facts are staggering. Here you will find
the greatest and the most in nearly every conceivable category: 1,050 acres of
gardens containing exquisite flowers and majestic trees, twenty different outdoor
gardens, twenty indoor gardens in four acres of heated greenhouses, and a total
of 11,000 different species of plants, making this one of the greatest conservatories
in the world. In addition to the plants, there are dazzling fountains, with variable
multi-colored illumination, musical accompaniment, and a backdrop of fireworks
on selected summer evenings, a spectacle that leaves the attendees spellbound.
Then there are the over eight hundred horticultural and performing arts events
ranging from flower shows, horticultural classes, and children’s programs to concerts,
organ recitals, and musical plays. Finally, there is the impressive tally of over
900,000 people entering the gates each year. Reducing
this world of variety to its least common denominator, we find that all of this
is the dream of one man, Pierre Samuel du Pont (1870-1954). In a country where
the majority rules, one man put together a garden that has enchanted a people
for decades. Only in America! Pierre was the
great-grandson of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834), a royalist who left France
in 1800 and founded the family fortune by manufacturing gunpowder. Pierre later
turned the family business into a chemical corporate empire. Using his fortune
and his leisure, Pierre developed what was to become Longwood Gardens. The inspiration
for Longwood came from his numerous trips to Europe, where he visited some two
dozen villas and fifty chateaux. He even visited the garden of Claude Oscar Monet,
hosted by the painter himself. He threw himself
into his projects with an unbounded energy. At 21 years of age he oversaw the
construction of the new family homestead. By the time he was 28, he possessed
his own commercial nursery with seven greenhouses. At 34, disappointed by professional
landscapers, he drafted his own plans for improving the family’s estate. He began
work on what is known today as Longwood Gardens at the age of 36, beginning with
the 600-foot long Flower Garden Walk in 1907 and continuing to build as the “mood
touched him.” At his urging, the Longwood Foundation was established in 1946,
entrusted to operate the gardens “for the sole use of the public for purposes
of exhibition, instruction, education and enjoyment.” While
visiting Longwood, I spoke with Mr. Colvin Randall, its Public Relations Manager.
One of the first things I asked was whether any descendants of Pierre were still
involved in the foundation. “Du Ponts were involved in the beginning of this Foundation
and are still involved in the running of Longwood” he said. “Two-thirds of the
board of trustees is made up of family members, Mr. du Pont didn’t have any children,
so they are mostly his great nephews and great nieces, and a few of them carry
the name du Pont.”  “Do
they have horticultural experience?” I asked. “They are well known and respected
in botanical circles,” Mr. Randall replied. “They are primarily responsible, in
addition to the financial end of Longwood, for the aesthetical questions of taste.
They decide what is tasteful and what is not. They meet once a month with the
advisory committee and the landscape committee and review design changes for the
garden. These are things like color combinations, any buildings to be built, the
details, or the architectural styles. It always goes through these trustees’ committees.”
That eye for the tasteful, which runs in the du Pont family, is the soul of Longwood
Gardens. It is something that goes beyond mere botany and touches the sublime.
It was ultimately the fruit of a little boy’s dream. When Pierre was only nine,
he visited a mansion in Philadelphia which had a conservatory. “If one day I ever
build a greenhouse,” he said, “it will be open to the public.” In this innocent
dream, he not only yearned for beautiful things but desired to share them with
others. Much later, visiting Florence with his wife, he marveled at the Villa
Gamberaia water garden, exclaiming: “Wouldn’t it be nice to have this in the United
States?” Eventually, a reproduction of this wonderful Italian water garden, with
several enhancements of Pierre’s own design, was added near one of Longwood’s
shaded paths, permitting visitors to share his earlier delight. Following the
direction of his dream, Mr. du Pont continued his quest for a garden of ever-greater
beauty and quality. With the establishing of the Foundation and the continual
influence by members of the du Pont family, his dream continues. The success of
Longwood Gardens is proof of its appeal.
Attaining
high ideals, the fruit of a healthy tradition, however, has a value too few seem
to realize in today’s world. All too many people are caught up in matters that
fail to capture the imagination. Tax breaks, Wall Street trends, and Y2K solutions
are all problems that must be addressed, but they are not the stuff from which
dreams are made. What people need are ideals to believe in, to strive for. It
is part of our nature, it is what drives us to succeed and go forward, giving
that spice and zest which life otherwise lacks. Ultimately, it is this love for
the dream that gives people the energy and enthusiasm to go the extra mile and
achieve things so great that those who lack the dream can only sit back and wonder. This
idea is expressed very well in an advertisement showing a man clinging to the
side of a cliff, clutching at any little crack in the rock that would allow him
to go higher. The caption is simple: “My body was not made for this, but my spirit
was.” Although the ideal dream is not based on thrills and sensations, so common
to our modern world, it does generate this effect in man. It gives him a vitality
of spirit and the necessary drive to accomplish that which his mere natural strength
would not be able to do. This explains the attitudes of the people one meets while
visiting Longwood. One enthusiastic visitor from New York, for example, realizing
that I was visiting the gardens for the first time, exclaimed with a gleam in
her eye how she had visited many times and always found something new to “ooh
and ah about.” The joy in her eyes while expressing her enthusiasm for the gardens
was contagious. Then there were the four ladies who walked single file into a
hall adorned with hanging globes of pink chrysanthemums. “Oh, my heavens!” each
exclaimed in turn upon entering the hall. The last lady expressed what all three
probably thought: “Did you ever see anything more beautiful in your life?” It
is truly impossible to visit Longwood as a passive observer. Everyone is quickly
absorbed by the grandeur of it all. Walking along the finely manicured lawns,
seeing the play of lights in the hundreds of fountains, is really a dream. An
atmosphere of joy and innocence envelops everyone, old and young, men, women and
children, all enjoying the fruits of Pierre’s labors, the fulfillment of his dreams. One
little boy put it best when he exclaimed: “Oh, this is just like a little piece
of heaven.” This boy realized in his innocence what few adults are ever able to
grasp. He saw exactly that which another little boy in Philadelphia was dreaming
of many years before him—a heavenly garden made for people’s enjoyment. Finally,
there was the comment someone wrote in a survey put out by Longwood: “What would
God do if He had money?” This question begs an answer and it is very simple. God
would do exactly that which He inspires His creatures to do when they are faithful
to their dreams.
You can visit Longwood Gardens on the web
at: http://www.longwoodgardens.org
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