Chimes 300

LONGWOOD CHIMES 300

Winter 2020

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No. 300

In this, Issue 300 of Longwood Chimes, we celebrate journeys…ones that broaden our knowledge, change our perspective, preserve our history, and sometimes, bring us full circle. Journey with us as we examine our deep and enriching work with the gardens of Asia, follow along as some of our most cherished artifacts are meticulously preserved, and meet some remarkable people— from volunteers to staff to students—whose varied careers, travels, and talents have led them to —and back to—Longwood.

In Brief

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Features

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Full Circle Reflections on an educational journey that has spanned the globe.

By Barbara Wheeler

View Finders We go behind the lens and introduce you to our team of volunteers whose images help tell the story of our Gardens.

By Lynn Schuessler

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Artful Artifacts From precious prints to historic stone, conserving our objects is a labor—and process—of love.

By Judy Stevenson

The Chimes They Are A-Changin’ In celebration of Issue 300, we take a look at the legacy of Longwood Chimes.

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The Asian Connection Sometimes the most fulfilling journey is one that’s far from complete.

By Katie Mobley

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A Century of Floral Sun Parlors: A Crystal Atrium Despite his disappointing 1898–1904 greenhouse business, Pierre du Pont’s second and third attempts at gardening under glass were resounding successes.

By Colvin Randall

End Notes

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A Plantsman and a Gentleman One of the country’s most recognized horticulturists, Dr. Richard Lighty, caps a stellar career as he retires from the Longwood Gardens Board of Trustees.

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In Brief

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Interior spread from the first issue of Longwood Chimes, 1957. The charming illustrations appearing throughout were hand-drawn

by Betty Collins. Photo by Daniel Traub.

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Reflections on an educational journey that has spanned the globe.

By Barbara Wheeler

Education

Full Circle Education has been a major part of my horticultural career. Seven years of it, in fact, spent within structured horticultural training programs. I’ve always held a strong view that learning and new experiences go hand in hand. They provide fresh perspectives, a wider scope, and, of course, the incalculable value of knowledge you gain from others along the way.

In my home country of New Zealand, I oversee apprenticeships as part of my operational management role at Dunedin Botanic Garden. I often say to our apprentices as they graduate that life in what I call “the botanic garden bubble” is limiting: your zone of knowledge will never grow if you don’t push yourself beyond your role and comfort zone. I tell them that leaving their botanic garden to gain fresh perspectives means that they will likely return with valuable expertise for their garden. Even if they don’t return to the same garden, they may end up making their mark in the wider public horticulture industry.

This is why educational programs are vital for public gardens and those who work in them. Institutions such as Longwood Gardens that prioritize education are benefiting the next generation of public garden visitors; not only those within their own garden gates, but in the wider industry as well. The invaluable opportunity of training at Longwood was made possible for me at a pivotal point in my career —all I needed to do was to step outside of my comfort zone and take action.

In 1994, I was a 25-year-old qualified gardener at New Zealand’s Dunedin Botanic

Opposite: Barbara Wheeler returns to Longwood as a Fellow 25 years after making her first journey here for the International Gardener Program. Photo

by Daniel Traub.

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Garden when I embarked on a life-changing journey to the United States for what was then termed the Longwood Gardens’ International Gardener Program. The 12-month program was my first trip out of New Zealand by myself, and with it, a huge step into the unknown. I was excited to learn how horticulturists in America gardened, to see the North American flora, and to experience a new country and culture.

Each day at Longwood brought a new adventure, from tending the enormous lilies in the Waterlily Display to planting boxwoods in the Main Fountain Garden with my American colleagues. Beyond the horticultural knowledge I gained, the Longwood Gardens team and supervisors imbued in me confidence and leadership skills that continue to shape my work today.

From Longwood, I gained a commitment to training the next generation, maintaining the highest horticultural standards, and carefully balancing botanical integrity with cultural relevance.

As I write in 2019, I am double the above-mentioned age and have embarked on my second journey to Longwood Gardens, this time to spend 13 months in the Longwood Fellows Program. This return journey to Longwood is my fourth trip out of New Zealand to work and study, so this time around I was more comfortable to set forth on my endeavor … however, it was still a huge step into the unknown as I wound down my 18 years in operational management at Dunedin Botanic Garden.

The awe I had felt when I first arrived at

Longwood in 1994 returned immediately, but this time it was more profound because Longwood had lived for the past 25 years as a cherished memory in my mind.

Along the way I’ve valued these educational opportunities and am committed to providing training programs and career guidance wherever I work.

I often reflect on my start in horticulture, just wanting to work outside and in nature, and a chance was provided by way of an apprenticeship. Nearly 30 years later, it is my turn to give chances to ensure the continued success of our public gardens globally.

Big things come of small starts and opportunities. This is something else I often reflect upon. Could the people who gave me my first start have fully comprehended where I would end up? They possibly had an inkling of my potential, but in reality, unrealized potential is all around us. They took a chance based on what they saw in me and a chance is all one needs. That first open door unlocks the next, and then the next. Even a closed door is a positive challenge, as there is always a way to unlock it with enough commitment.

So, the real responsibility on us all is to first realize potential in others — guide and encourage them, be patient, and create a safe, positive and open learning environment.

We must also understand that we ourselves have more potential than we often realize or admit. Committing to stepping into the unknown and pushing beyond our comfort zones should be something all of us aspire to each and every day.

The Longwood Fellows Program is a 13-month, immersive learning experience that provides innovative, pragmatic leadership-development opportunities for those who have a strong desire to lead in the public horticulture arena.

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The Arts

View Finders

Longwood’s volunteer photographers can be found in every garden in every season.

Together they log 1,500 to 2,000 hours a year in search of the exceptional image—the one that, in the words of photographer Duane Erdmann, “causes the viewer to stop, look again, and wonder; maybe wonder how the photographer got the shot, wonder how nature can be so creative and beautiful.”

“But it’s not just about the beauty,” says Digital Resources Manager Maureen McCadden, who heads up Longwood’s Digital Gallery, a repository that includes hundreds of thousands of photos by volunteer photographers. Among the beauty shots, there are documentary images of display installations and construction projects; plant ID photos used by docents, designers, and gardeners; and bits of visual history that make the Digital Gallery a true reference library.

Photographers have long taken pictures of the Gardens, but the modern history of 8

We go behind the lens and introduce you to our team of volunteers whose images help tell the story of our Gardens.

By Lynn Schuessler

an actual volunteer photography program dates back to 2008, when Plant Collections Information Manager Kristina Aguilar asked volunteers to capture what was blooming in specific spaces at specific times. The Garden Highlights team published a weekly PDF on the website —with changes in style through 2013—that evolved to the current What’s in Bloom webpage.

Assignments for volunteer photographers have since expanded to fill needs large and small, including the high demands of Marketing “to show what’s going on now (right now!) in the Gardens.” Digital Marketing Manager Jen Fazekas contacts volunteers “almost weekly” in order to feed daily visual content to three social media platforms and the website. “They are the lens through which so many of our online guests view the Gardens.”

Art Director Steve Fenton says his Creative Services team “couldn’t work at the high level we aspire to without their

contributions. Things move quickly in the Gardens and it’s critical to have skilled photographers shoot on short notice and deliver high quality final images directly to our Digital Gallery for immediate access.

It’s a diverse team and each of the volunteers has specific skills, styles of shooting, preferred subjects, and technical strengths.”

On the next few pages, we invite you to meet 15 of our dedicated volunteer photographers. As a group, they have more than a century of volunteer experience.

Besides their go-to Nikon or Canon or Pentax, they often reach for a tripod, a fill flash … or a foldup map of the Gardens.

Many love Christmas at Longwood, especially at night. Most are retired from challenging careers—in business, technology, engineering, science, horticulture, and education—and a couple have their own photography businesses on the side. They are mainly self-taught, making use of clubs, courses, YouTube … and lots of practice!

Volunteer Photographers In Focus

William Hill

Judy Czeiner

Joe Hare

Whether capturing the beauty of early morning fog or the expression of a student in a harshly lit classroom, Bill is adept at tough lighting conditions, often without flash or tripod. Retired from “an intense left-brain education and career,” his right brain now works overtime to inspire others to see the Gardens from a unique perspective—his floral closeups often highlight the form or gesture of a leaf, or the hidden structure of a flower.

He focuses on artistry rather than on any single camera brand. “My equipment just needs to be familiar and have the range of capabilities to capture what I imagine in my images.”

Judy loves the Main Conservatory, and her goal when choosing a subject is to capture the plant as the gardeners envisioned it. “With a good image, I see both the beauty and the botany of the plant … I am always striving to improve my capture of artistic and accurate images.” Shooting in the early morning or at dusk takes advantage of “the very special difference that excellent light can bring … the morning light in Acacia Passage can be as magical as a perfect waterlily with its perfect reflection.”

Also magical: “contributing to the Longwood collection of photographs of the beauty there.”

Joe is as handy with a scanner as he is with a camera. Each week, he helps Digital Resource Manager Maureen McCadden add valuable resources to the Digital Gallery, such as blackand-white negatives by Gottlieb Hampfler from the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. Joe embraces some of Longwood’s more unusual photography assignments: documenting the 40-plusweek chrysanthemum growing season, the steam tunnels beneath the Conservatory, or a Longwood Fellows workshop.

Returning from one such task, Joe’s willingness and sense of humor made Maureen smile: “It takes a special photographer to shoot the parking lots,” he said.

Photography is…“a great way to tell a story.”

Photography by Carlos Alejandro

—Longwood Gardens Volunteer Photographer Joe Hare

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Volunteer Photographers In Focus

“I am constantly enchanted by what the gifted folks here create.”

— Longwood Gardens Volunteer Photographer David Ward

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David Ward

Becca Mathias

Ken Cangin

David has captured the enchantment of Longwood since 1971, but it was a perfect white rose at a precise angle of light that lured him to botanical photography. He developed a niche for closeups that are regularly used for Chimes covers, for which he sets up a makeshift studio in the Soil Shed with light tent, meter, tripod—and his artist’s eye—to shoot the beauty of bonsai tools or the intricacy of a seedhead.

David is inspired by “the wonderful skill and creativity of the gardeners and designers.

Photography teaches one to look—to really see, and I am constantly enchanted by what the gifted folks here create.”

Becca’s style is bright and colorful. “I love to shoot through plants to focus on a single subject … my favorite flower is a hibiscus, so you can frequently find me in the Rose House.” When she’s not on the job shooting portraits and weddings, Becca loves to spend time in the Gardens to clear her mind and just have fun with photography. She’ll think of a theme—like focusing on plant textures—to view the Gardens in a creative light.

“I’m most proud of my Longwood work for that reason. It’s a chance for me to play around with settings and try something new.”

A pipe organ docent as well as a photographer (among other volunteer roles), Ken has enjoyed shooting the International Organ Competition and last year’s organ console upgrade. But one of his favorite subjects is the Garden Railway, and his images of its installation this past fall provide a visual record useful for future setups.

“Photography allows me to permanently capture what my eyes see, and more importantly, what they don’t see … it’s a moment frozen in time to relive whenever you want. Longwood Gardens got me back into my photography. She is my muse.”

Cathy Matos

Duane Erdmann

Richard Donham

When Cathy first started taking pictures with her Kodak Duaflex, she loved capturing snowstorms and birthdays.

Now her niche is butterflies— she has tried shooting variants of every species in the NJ/PA area, and is still patiently chasing a good shot of a pipevine swallowtail and a cloudless sulphur. As a Longwood volunteer, she first contributed to Garden Highlights and What’s in Bloom, and now strolls the Gardens monthly with a good zoom lens in search of flowers, people, and insects. Meanwhile, her photos inspire yet another passion—watercolor painting.

Photography is a creative outlet that gets Duane out into nature, where his “gift” images include a spider in a sunlit tulip, the 252nd shot of a croaking frog on a water platter, and just the right angle of rain on a waterlily. His passion is closeup photography and his niche is orchids, which he documents for the PlantExplorer database. He’s been growing orchids for more than 45 years; has 1,100 specimens; and has traveled the world to “capture” them in situ. “I know a good flower, and can usually find an angle to help the viewer see the beauty.”

Initially part of the Garden Highlights team, Richard now enjoys shooting events: “I find people are always in a good mood and want to have the event documented.” He finds a tripod essential. It “slows me down, makes me look at the scene … Longwood is not the easiest place to photograph.

There are many great images wth confusing backgrounds, which have to be blurred by careful choice of lens aperture and positioning and accessory lighting … the distance between the garden photographer and the French impressionist masters is not all that far.”

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Volunteer Photographers In Focus

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Carol DeGuiseppi

Bob Doerr

Candie Ward

Carol was humbled and honored to have her shot of the revitalized Main Fountain Garden chosen for the cover of Chimes 295. The photo fits well with her description of what makes a good image: it “speaks to the viewer and makes them feel as if they are right there with you.” Carol enjoys macro photography and the creativity of post-processing. She’s inspired by the work of others, and by “getting outside and experiencing nature … there is beauty all around us if we take the time to look!” Her advice?

“Practice. Try a new technique, be different. Shoot what makes you happy!”

For two “very enjoyable” years, Bob has worked with Guest Engagement Docent Manager Paula Butera-Kunkel to capture candid shots of volunteers engaging with guests. “It’s all about the light … change the light, position, or composition of the subject and you change the message.” He loves the Mediterranean Garden in early morning or late afternoon light, and he’s working on mastering focus stacking, a technique that combines images taken at different focus distances to produce greater depth of field.

The image he’s still after? Early morning fog on the Large Lake.

Candie likes to “go out and look for cool things to photograph,” which often means nature and wildlife and a walk through the Meadow. What makes a good image is “simplicity and contrast,” and when she finds an interesting subject, she tries to bracket it—taking multiple photos with minor changes in position or lighting. But nature doesn’t always stand still, and one shot she treasures is the first time she was fast enough to capture a hummingbird on blue sage. “Practice, practice, practice,” she says. “It takes years to develop your eye to become a good photographer.

And keep it fun.”

Shelly Krocker

Amy Simon Berg

Hank Davis

For Shelly, all of Longwood is a photoshoot. Starting last spring as one of our newest volunteer photographers, he searches for the unique subject that others may have overlooked. Patience is part of what makes a good image and he is always looking for the one shot that will bring smiles to people’s faces and a tear to their eyes. Shelly is inspired by knowing that he’ll leave behind a collection of images for others to enjoy. “Photography came into my life unexpectedly. It has allowed me to express myself in ways that words could not.”

Amy’s father worked for Polaroid, “so there were always cameras around the house.

He taught me to ‘fill the frame’ with the subject whenever possible … that seems to work for me.” These days she fills her frame with closeups of flowers—for plant ID sheets that help her fellow docents answer guests’ questions on Flower Garden Walk; and for the seasonal plant notebook at the Conservatory information desk, which keeps pace with the ever-changing displays in the Orangery and Exhibition Hall. “Photography helps me capture memories of nature, places, and people; these are images I will always have as reminders.”

Hank is inspired by the sheer beauty of nature—especially hummingbirds, which he’s trying to capture on as many flowers as possible. But his niche in night photography means he’s often first on the scene for events like A Longwood Christmas or Fireworks & Fountains Shows. Art Director Steve Fenton says, “he’s always willing to go the extra mile: trekking into the falling snow for a magical shot of the Love Temple … or going up in the lift truck to get sweeping views of a turf trial.” Hank looks for “broad underlying colors, shapes, and contrasts between light and dark. Anything that isn’t directly helping the composition takes away from it.”

“Photography speaks to the best and most generous part of our human nature—the desire to share what we find beautiful and interesting with others.”

—Longwood Gardens Volunteer Photographer Hank Davis

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This photo gallery showcases the diverse talents and beautiful results achieved by our volunteer photographers.

This page, first row: Dracaena draco, Silver Garden, photo by Bob Doerr; Acacia leprosa, Acacia Passage, photo by Judy Czeiner. Second row: Nigella damascena, Spring Blooms, photo

by Cathy Matos; Alluaudia ascendens, Silver Garden, photo by Candie Ward; Blechnum brasiliense, Fern Passage, photo by Duane Erdmann. Third row: Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii ‘Profusion’, Hillside Garden, photo by Amy Simon Berg; Young lensman, Flower Garden Walk, photo by Hank Davis.

Opposite, first row: Rhododendron ‘Purple Splendor’, Hillside Garden, photo by William Hill; Nelumbo nucifera, Waterlily Display, photo

by David Ward. Second row: Chrysanthemum bonsai staff class, photo by Joe Hare; Prunus × yedoensis, Flower Garden Walk, photo by Shelly Krocker. Third row: Fire pit aglow, A Longwood Christmas, photo by Richard Donham; Edgeworthia chrysantha, Hillside Garden, photo

by Carol DeGuiseppi. Fourth row: Garden Railway, photo by Ken Cangin; Large Lake, A Longwood Christmas, photo by Becca Mathias.

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Features

A soft-tip goat hair wet mounting brush is used to gently remove surface debris from an intaglio print by Giovanni Battista Falda at the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts.

Photo by Daniel Traub.

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Above and right: Coinciding with the Main Fountain Garden revitalization, a project was initiated in 2015 to conserve this pair of historic urns, located at the south end of Paulownia AllĂŠe. They are seen here in 2019, four years after completion of a thorough treatment process to restore their original beauty.

The urns were conserved onsite in order to prevent

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additional damage, providing guests a rare opportunity to see the conservators at work.

The conservation team from Dan Lepore & Sons Company began by removing years of dirt and biological growth using a three-step cleaning process. Next, cracks and missing areas were repaired and replaced. Finally, the urns were treated with a material that strengthened

and protected the stone.

The process took one conservator and one stone mason approximately six weeks to complete.

Longwood purchased and installed the urns in 1962. They were acquired from an estate built in 1675 called Braywick House, located west of London.

The urns were likely created in the 18th century.

Education

Artful Artifacts

From precious prints to historic stone, conserving our objects is a labor—and process—of love.

By Judy Stevenson

Photography by Daniel Traub

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Longwood Gardens cares for a wide range of historical and cultural collections, including rare books, historical archives, manuscripts, photography, garden ornaments, decorative arts, architectural fragments, and fine art. The collections serve myriad purposes at Longwood, from research and education to exhibition and display. Many items are a century old or older, and some show their age more drastically than others. When objects show significant deterioration, staining, or other damage, staff may consider conservation treatment to stop or repair wear.

Conservation, the long-term preservation of cultural heritage, may range from simple reframing of a piece of art into an acid-free mat and frame to the full restoration of a deteriorated piece of stone garden ornament.

This work is typically performed by conservators, who hold advanced degrees in conservation science with training in materials science, treatment methodologies, and art history.

Because conservation can be a complicated and costly process, only a few items each year are selected to receive treatment. Director, Library and Information Services David Sleasman is responsible for coordinating conservation in Longwood’s collections. He prioritizes items based on several factors, including uniqueness, historical value, importance to Longwood, or if the item has been requested for exhibition or display. “We have a queue of items that have been flagged for conservation,” says Sleasman, “and periodically we reach out to conservators to put together estimates for conserving items in the queue. With an estimate in hand, we can more easily budget for future conservation.” When budget opportunities arise, items in the queue receive priority for conservation funds.

One such opportunity arose in 2015 to conserve a pair of 18th-century limestone

urns on display at the south end of Paulownia Allée. Originally from Braywick House in England, Longwood acquired the urns in 1962. Over time, dirt and biological growth discolored the limestone surface, and exposure to the elements caused sections of stone to become heavily worn. In 2015, Longwood’s Main Fountain Garden revitalization project was underway and stone conservators were onsite daily caring for the limestone sculptures in the fountains.

As luck would have it, the urns required the exact same conservation treatment as the Main Fountain Garden stone, and we were able to leverage the experience of conservators on that project to treat our urns. A team from Dan Lepore & Sons Company cleaned the urns using a combination of dry brushing and water misting cycles followed by a microabrasive cleaning. Cracked and missing stone was repaired, and the urns were treated with a material to strengthen and protect the stone.

Because cleaning and repairs took place in situ, guests could easily observe the activity and talk with Lepore’s conservators about the conservation process.

Longwood partnered with Lepore again to conserve a stone sundial in our Peony Garden. This marble sundial was made in Kennett Square, PA in 1840 by Samuel Pennock, and was given to Pierre du Pont in 1923 by a Pennock descendant. Originally located north of the Topiary Garden, the sundial was moved to the Peony Garden in 1964. Over time, weathering and other stresses caused numerous cracks to the sundial’s stone base. In 2016, our horticulture staff was preparing to redesign and replant the Peony Garden, and this seemed like the perfect time to repair the sundial. Lepore proposed a plan to remove the sundial, clean and repair the stone offsite, and then reinstall the sundial base. We also reached out to Linda Lennon Objects Conservation

This marble sundial was made in Kennett Square, PA in 1840 by Samuel Pennock, and was given to Pierre du Pont in 1923 by a Pennock descendant.

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of Newark, DE, to clean and protect the iron gnomon, the vertical part of the sundial that casts a shadow on the base showing the time. Lennon and Lepore collaborated to determine the best method to reattach the gnomon to the stone base. “The gnomon had originally been secured using methods and materials that were not desirable to recreate when the marble sundial base was reinstalled,” says Lennon, so she and Kate Biddle from Lepore devised a plan to use aluminum hardware painted to match the black surface of the gnomon. The sundial was reinstalled in April 2017, just in time for the replanted Peony Garden’s first peak bloom.

Our most recent object to undergo a conservation journey is a set of Italian Renaissance garden prints from a book by Giovanni Falda. We acquired these unbound prints at auction several years ago to enhance Mr. du Pont’s collection of books and prints of Italian gardens. The lack of a protective binding caused the edges of the prints to be damaged, so we contacted the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia for help. Senior Paper Conservator Heather Hendry describes the treatment process used on these prints: “The prints will be first surface cleaned to remove any loose grime. Then they will be washed in a shallow bath of deionized water.

After bathing, the prints will be mended with mulberry paper and wheat starch paste and humidified and flattened.” Once conserved, these prints will be flat, stable, and available for research, exhibition, or digitization.

It often takes years for an object to move from the initial conservation queue through the conservation process, and for every object that is treated, many more are awaiting conservation. We are committed to the careful stewardship of the collections entrusted to our care, so we may conserve our objects for future generations to enjoy.

Opposite: Detail view of the stone sundial in the Peony Garden after the conservation efforts to the gray marble base and iron gnomon.

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Above and top right: A set of 20 intaglio prints by the Italian architect, engraver, and artist Giovanni Battista Falda (1643–78), are currently being conserved at the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia. The prints— black printing ink on a machine-made wove paper— were probably made in the

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19th century using 17thcentury printing plates. Mellon Paper Conservation Fellow Juliet Baines and NEA Paper Conservation Fellow Benjamin Kirschner of the Conservation Center are seen immersing the prints in successive baths of calcium-enriched deionized water, a process used to reduce discoloration and foxing stains.

Below: The title page of the folio illustrates the condition of the plates prior to conservation.

Once conserved, these prints will be at, stable, and available for research, exhibition, or digitization.

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Legacy

The Chimes They Are A-Changin’ Since its inception in 1957, the Longwood Chimes, this venerable publication created by and for Longwood Gardens staff, has chronicled the life of our Gardens. While the Chimes featured the many changes of the institution over decades, perhaps even more importantly it celebrated the people who have shaped this special place. In honor of Issue 300, we take a look at the legacy of Longwood Chimes.

In preparation for this article, we visited the Library & Archives, where all 299 issues of the Chimes are archived both in print and digitally for future reference. Photo by Daniel Traub.

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Covering the Chimes

As an organization that prides itself on preserving legacy, it’s no surprise that we continue to look to the past to inform the future. Digging into the Archives uncovered a robust library of every single issue since 1957, along with facts surrounding the purpose of this publication: “This quarter has seen the initiation of a monthly, mimeographed newspaper by and for the employees . . . as a means of improving personnel relations and drawing the mutual interest of our employees closer together.”

Thus, the Longwood Chimes was born. As the cover of this issue illustrates, the new publication did not have a name when it first appeared. The second issue announced the name would be Chimes, calling it a “particularly happy choice with its connotation of the news being ‘rung out’ to us all every month,” adding that since the Chimes Tower is a Longwood landmark “we feel the play on words is especially apt.”

The runner-up name? The Longwood Log. With every issue, the Chimes covered garden, facility, and program changes as well as highlights of the many talents, hard work, dedication, and creativity of its staff. As we evolved as an institution, so too has the Chimes. It’s gone through many manifestations, just like a garden, expanding from a brief, monthly pamphlet for 198 employees, to a four-color, semi-annual magazine for not only 900 staff and 800 volunteers, but also our 71,000 Membership households from around the region and the globe.

In retrospect, we’ve shared covers from past Chimes, many of which reflect memorable milestones in our history, from notable projects and garden improvements to organizational changes and new exhibits.

Yet, there has always been one constant from yesterday to today: In every issue, it’s the people of Longwood Gardens that bring the words and images of the Chimes to life. It is our hope that the next few decades of the Chimes continue the mission set forth more than 60 years ago: “to strengthen the bonds of friendship and interest in our widely dispersed and greatly diversified ranks ….”

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1957–78

1979–94

1995–99

2000–06

2007–12

2014–Present

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Horticulture

Sometimes the most fulďŹ lling journey is one that’s far from complete.

By Katie Mobley

Right: Pulsation as seen from within the installation on the Center Walk of the Orangery during the 2019 Blooms & Bamboo display.

Photo by Daniel Traub.

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The Asian

Connection

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It’s certainly not a foreign concept that strong relationships must be cultivated in a spirit of trust, respect, and support—and Longwood’s connection with Asia is nothing short of exceptionally strong. From decades of plant exploration and collection trips to this part of the world … to fruitful staff and student exchanges between Longwood and a long list of Asian gardens … to the traditional Asian techniques we honor in our most challenging horticultural displays, our longstanding (and ever-growing) relationship with Asian horticulture is one rooted in longevity.

Much of our present association with this horticulturally abundant part of the world can be attributed to our decades of plant exploration and collection journeys that have taken us around the globe, namely to China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Central Asia. Our very first plant collection trip was to Japan. This 1956 expedition to the remote forest regions of southern Japan on the islands of Kyushu, Shikoku, and lower Honshu was the first in a series conducted through a partnership between Longwood and the USDA, in support of the vision of Longwood’s then-director Dr. Russell J. Seibert to grow the diversity of our collections with a variety of plants not then available in the States.

Led by Dr. John Creech, the resoundingly successful 1956 expedition resulted in the introduction of 668 plants ranging from azaleas to daylilies. Among those introductions were 124 cultivars of chrysanthemums representing a fantastic collection of modern Japanese varieties … thanks in part to the timing of the trip, which coincided perfectly with the annual flowering and exhibition of chrysanthemums in Tokyo. The introductions of these cultivars marked a turning point in Longwood’s collection. According to Creech, “It was, by and large, an interesting trip as I visited several large growers of chrysanthemums and also the major mum shows. They are going to send me small suckers of all of the leading types of chrysanthemums grown in Japan and it was as I had hoped …. I am sure the Longwood people will do a good job with a bit of coaching on Japanese techniques. As a result, there could be at Longwood, a chrysanthemum display the like of which has never been seen in the United States.” Over the years, Creech’s theory has happily proved correct.

From our first journey to Japan, our plant exploration model has evolved over the years and allowed us to work with horticulturists worldwide to find, obtain, and trial new plants each year. From trips to

Opposite: Chrysanthemums were displayed at Longwood as early as 1921, when the conservatories first opened.

The 1970 Orangery display is seen here.

Right: Dr. John Creech examines the chrysanthemum introductions at Longwood from his 1956 plant exploration trip to Japan.

Photos by Gottlieb Hampfler.

Longwood Gardens Library & Archives.

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remote regions in search of wild plants to visits to abundant supplier nurseries, our travels to Asia have consistently served as a cornerstone of the program. Proving not only fruitful in terms of plant collection, these trips have also been focused on sharing intellectual capital with our counterparts, as well as advocating for the conservation of plants and resources in the countries we explore. Along the way, Longwood has led and participated in several conservation consortia and partnerships with domestic and international gardens with similar interests in plant exploration and collaboration.

“The plant exploration community is a tight-knit one,” shares Longwood’s

“It’s the most extreme horticulture we do… the highest level of manipulating a plant into a three-dimensional sculptural form.”

—Director of Floriculture and Conservatories Jim Harbage

Left: Director of Floriculture and Conservatories Jim Harbage on the lawn of the Orangery during the final days of the 2019 Blooms & Bamboo display.

Opposite: Artistically trained cascade chrysanthemum forms float overhead during the 2019 Blooms & Bamboo display.

Photos by Daniel Traub.

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Associate Director, Conservation, Plant Breeding and Collections Dr. Peter Zale.

“Getting into that world and building a relationship of trust is a process. All of our plant exploration experiences feed into one another.”

To support our plant exploration efforts, as well as our Fellows Program field placement and staff knowledge exchange, Longwood has signed memoranda of agreement with other gardens in Asia, specifically in China and Singapore. Those agreements allow for Fellows Program international field placement at Beijing Botanical Garden, Chenshan Botanical Garden, Gardens by the Bay Singapore, and National Parks Board Singapore; and

the exchange of plants, staff, educational programs, and research supporting plant conservation and plant development with Chenshan Botanical Garden. The result of these agreements has been monumental.

Perhaps the most visible result of our ongoing relationships with Asia lies in our amazing core chrysanthemum collection and our Chrysanthemum Festival … the largest and oldest chrysanthemum display in North America. Both the collection and our display would not be possible without our Asian connections … a fact that we hold dearly when it comes to how we grow our collection and display its beauty. Some of our most unique chrysanthemum cultivars are those that

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Blooms & Bamboo Installation

Photography by Hank Davis

Above: A total 635 pieces of 26-foot-long bamboo poles were delivered to Longwood in preparation for the Sogetsu installations, representing Japanese timber bamboo, or madake (Phyllostachys bambusoides), and Meyer’s bamboo (Phyllostachys

meyeri), of 4-inch and 2.5-inch diameters, respectively. These massive poles of bamboo were harvested from a specialty nursery and landscaping company with well-established groves in Georgia.

Above: The Center Walk was awash in a sea of ladders, towering bamboo poles, and immense creativity during each moment of installation.

Below: The bamboo poles were drilled and wired with one another, allowing for a series of meeting points of varying heights. Senior Mechanic/Fabricator Dave Beck assists with the installation on the Center Walk.

Above: To create the intricate bamboo bands for the Sogetsu installations, steel wire was placed near a leaf node and twisted between each bamboo strip. The node ridge prevented the wire from sliding.

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“Although I have created bamboo installations in a variety of styles in Japan and around the world for more than 20 years, the two installations at Longwood will be the greatest and finest of all, both in terms of scale and bamboo-manipulation techniques.”

—Headmaster of Sogetsu Iemoto Akane Teshigahara of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana

Above: Intricate bamboo banding was an integral element of the Exhibition Hall structures, both from a design and structural standpoint.

Above: A team from the Sogetsu School headquarters in Tokyo arrived at Longwood for the installation. Pictured above (from left to right) are team members Takashi Mikawa, Koichi Takamine, Naoki Mitarai, and Takayuki Fukazawa. Approximately 70 volunteers from local Sogetsu chapters, as well as Longwood staff, also assisted in the installation process from start to finish.

Right: Headmaster of Sogetsu Iemoto Akane Teshigahara of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana at the Blooms & Bamboo grand opening celebration. Photo

by Laurie Carrozzino.

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originated in Japan or were developed for use in Japanese growing methods, including bonsai chrysanthemums, thousand bloom chrysanthemums, and cascade chrysanthemums.

Chrysanthemums developed for these growing styles are the focus of our chrysanthemum core collection, and our displays honor the techniques developed in traditional Japanese and Chinese culture, adapted to our display areas and sometimes in the form of new shapes.

Some of the most detailed and intensive plant production methods practiced at Longwood, our chrysanthemum techniques have been employed in our Gardens since the 1920s. Preserving the cultivars traced back to Creech’s 1956 expedition and learning from our Asian counterparts has resulted in our ability to skillfully train cascade chrysanthemums into intricate forms.

“It’s incredibly special that Longwood is committed to both cascade chrysanthemums as a type and practicing the cultural methods that are very unique outside of Asia, particularly outside of China and Japan,” shares Director of Floriculture and Conservatories Jim Harbage, who oversees the chrysanthemum collection today. “It’s the most extreme

horticulture we do … the highest level of manipulating a plant into a threedimensional sculptural form.”

Much of our present knowledge on traditional chrysanthemum technique is a direct result of Longwood’s former production grower Yoko Arakawa.

Longwood hired Arakawa in 1994 after she had first arrived at Longwood the previous year as a student of Longwood’s international trainee program from Japan. Until her retirement in 2017, one of Arakawa’s primary responsibilities was overseeing and growing our thousand bloom chrysanthemum technique, bolstered along the way by her many knowledge-sharing trips to Japan.

Throughout the years, Longwood staff members have traveled to many traditional chrysanthemum festivals and shows in Japan and China to view them firsthand and to learn the technique. In turn, we have hosted visiting horticulturists from Asian counterparts to share their knowledge and technique here in our Gardens. For one, in 1999, we hosted horticulturists from Hirakata Park in Hirakata, Japan, who graciously created a stunning chrysanthemum doll display in our

Learning the technique from Asian counterparts during knowledge-sharing trips, Yoko Arakawa (right) began working on the thousand bloom chrysanthemum technique, initially producing plants of 150 to 250 blooms, while growing her knowledge of the technique and instilling that knowledge at Longwood.

Arakawa (right) is seen here in 2016 overseeing pruning of a thousand bloom chrysanthemum at the Longwood nursery along with Longwood Senior Grower Amanda Galano. Galano led the production of the thousand bloom chrysanthemum from start to finish for the first time in 2019 … which resulted in a record-breaking number of blooms. Photo by Hank Davis.

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Conservatory. We watched (and learned) in awe as these experts created these extremely intricate chrysanthemum forms.

Our latest foray took place this past year as part of our Blooms & Bamboo: Chrysanthemum and Ikebana Sogetsu Artistry display. Headmaster of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana Akane Teshigahara and her team from Tokyo exclusively designed two stunning bamboo installations in our Conservatory, the creation of which was happily supported by Longwood horticulturists. The two installations served as the largest display Teshigahara had ever created in North America, and were beautifully complemented by 23 smaller Ikebana arrangements crafted by local Sogetsu chapter members and Sogetsu artisans from Japan.

From engaging in collaborative plant exploration journeys to creating spectacular displays rooted in timehonored techniques, our relationship with our Asian counterparts has yielded spectacular results. Happily, that journey is far from over and our relationship is far from complete. As it’s said, the journey of a thousand miles (or a thousand blooms, perhaps, in our case) begins with a single step … and we’re so grateful to walk alongside our Asian partners on that journey.

Above: Our 2019 thousand bloom chrysanthemum totaled 1,542 perfect blooms … the most blooms we have achieved thus far.

Photo by Daniel Traub.

Right: In 1999 we hosted horticulturists from Hirikata Park, Japan, who created these stunning chrysanthemum doll displays for our East Conservatory. Photo by Roger Davis.

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A Century of Floral Sun Parlors: Part Two

A Crystal Atrium Despite his disappointing 1898–1904 greenhouse business, Pierre du Pont’s second and third attempts at gardening under glass were resounding successes.

By Colvin Randall

Photomontage (opposite) features the following images, clockwise from top left: Ben Myers (left) and the Wright family in front of the Peirce-du Pont House—based on the photo, it appears that the doors and windows of the original construction were made of wood; Easter lilies blooming next to the marble fountain in 1922; Blueprint showing the Peirce-du Pont House surrounding the atrium garden; Hand-tinted photo of the Peirce-du Pont House in 1928; View of the Sylvan Fountain in Peirce’s Park, 1928, photo by F. E. Geisler; Blueprint of 1914 addition to the Piercedu Pont House, showing oval staircase just off conservatory; Portrait of Pierre du Pont, age 36. Photomontage by Steve Fenton.

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On July 20, 1906, Pierre du Pont purchased all rights to the historic Peirce’s Park and to the surrounding lands, totaling over 202 acres, for approximately $16,000. He had no intention of using the place as his permanent residence, and he certainly wasn’t planning to build lavish gardens. A sort of embarrassment pervades his disclosure to friend Elias Ahuja: “I have recently experienced what I would formerly have diagnosed as an attack of insanity: that is, I have purchased a small farm about ten miles from here [Wilmington]. As I have always considered the purchase of real estate a sign of mental derangement and have so proclaimed, I fear that my friends may be looking for permission to inquire into my condition.

However, I believe the purchase worth the risk, for my farm is a very pretty little place, and I expect to have a good deal of enjoyment in restoring its former condition and making it a place where I can entertain my friends.”

Pierre later recalled the reasons for purchasing the farm: “The purpose was to save the collection of old trees, which had been accumulated by the Peirce family over a period of more than one hundred years, many of them then of extraordinary growth and arresting appearance. A casual visit made to the property had revealed a plan on part of the then owner to sell the timber from all of the woodland. The woodlot had been sold already and the trees in the park were to be offered for sale. To the casual observer it seemed that the property was being denuded for the benefit of the owner before the maturity of the debts incurred for its purchase.”

That summer, order was restored to the former park, which had become greatly overgrown. Many trees were dead, and others needed attention if they were to be preserved.

Immediate effort was given to the lake and to the water supply from it. Pierre wanted to restore the Large Lake to its original condition, so he had it drained and much

mud was removed. In January 1907, he wrote to his cousin Charles Belin, “The cleaning of the grounds has added a great deal to the place, and I am looking forward to Spring with a great deal of pleasure.” In October, “I have been greatly interested in my f lower garden, which I laid off last April …. We have been spending nearly every Saturday at ‘Longwood’, and I generally make a trip there at least once during the week.” By February, 1908, he would report: “I am beginning to think a little of the next season at ‘Longwood’, and have planned some improvements, though I will not do as much as last year ….

I do not begrudge this expenditure as the fun we have out of it, makes it all worth while.”

By that summer, Pierre was pleased with his efforts. “The garden improvements have come out very well, and are greatly admired.

I can say this without an exhibition of selfconceit, as the whole foundation for a fine place was there before I took hold. My work has been only to add some finishing touches and restore the place to its original condition.”

By the autumn of 1908, Pierre had decided to enlarge the Peirce House and chose Albert Dilks, 1001 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, as architect (who practiced design from at least 1880 to 1917). Pierre had worked previously with Dilks on the family home, Saint Amour, built in Wilmington in 1891. At Longwood, a new wing for the farm manager included a pantry, kitchen, dining room, and sitting room on the first floor. Two bedrooms and a bathroom comprised the new second floor, and a bathroom and 3,000-gallon and 900-gallon water tanks filled the new third floor. The furnace was in the new basement.

Pierre wished to preserve the simplicity of the original building and wrote to his architect: “As to the outside appearance, I wish to warn you against over-ornamentation. The old house is extremely plain, and the new addition should not be the least bit over-elaborate; even the little roof over the entrance doorway, and a similar addition in the way of ornamentation

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Below: Pierre’s family home St. Amour in Wilmington was designed by Albert Dilks. In April 1890 Pierre humorously wrote to sister Louisa conjecturing how it might turn out, with 11 family members involved in its design: “I suppose that this summer will be spent

in building various shapes and styles of houses with or without battlements, courtyards, and piazzas. If each one of the family gets in an ear on the construction of the house, St. Amour will probably be a unique structure and a worthy memorial of some of our freaks.”

might take away from the very plain appearance of the rest of the house. Will you kindly be very careful in looking out for inharmonious construction?” Pierre pored over Dilks’ plans and made copious notes about the smallest details, from windows and flues to storage bins and woodworking details. Nothing escaped his attention.

In March 1909, Pierre wrote to greenhouse builders Pierson U-Bar Company and to Lord and Burnham (not knowing that they were jointly owned) asking if they could construct “a conservatory about 40 ft. square, which could be removed during the summer and set up for winter use only. The height to be at least 6 ft. at the lowest point and say 20 ft. at the highest?” Pierre proposed building a 7-foot-high double wall along the north side of the open courtyard bounded on the east and south sides by the house. The conservatory would be 38 by 48 feet, with the gable running north and south, preferably with a hipped roof. A door on the west side 40

would exit into the open air. He envisioned radiators below ground and a grate over this pit, with the pipes concealed as much as possible. Perhaps a support pole on the north side could be raised into position by a cable running through one or more eyes on the opposite house wall. Lord and Burnham noted that they had successfully built a removable greenhouse sheltering a swimming pool for Pierre’s cousin T. Coleman du Pont. But Pierson counseled against a removable structure. In the end Pierre did not pursue building the conservatory and was content with the new house wing and its furnishings, all of which he valued at $10,000 additional (about $263,000 today) for insurance purposes.

Across the driveway a new service building was erected, designed by Wilmington architect John Dockery Thompson, Jr. (1872–1924), and finished in late 1912. It contained a new basement heating plant for both buildings with an

underground tunnel for the steam and hot water pipes, thereby reducing the fire risk to the main house; coal storage; space for six automobiles with an overhead washing apparatus; a repair shop; an office for engineer William Francis; a first-floor bedroom for a butler; six rooms on the second floor intended as a tenant house; and a large attic, which could be partitioned into a dwelling. The building was enlarged with an east wing in 1915 with two more bays and a second-floor suite including Mr. du Pont’s chemistry lab. The expanded building was valued at $27,000 in 1918.

In May 1911, Pierre contacted the Pierson U-Bar Company about building a fourcompartment traditional greenhouse, which he then ordered in April 1912 for a completed cost of $11,367 (about $300,000 today). The structure was built that September on the site of Longwood’s present restaurant. Pierre described it in October 1912: “The greenhouse, located in the vegetable garden, has just been

Left: The Peirce House, looking southeast, readied for the 1909 expansion.

Right: The new service building with the 1915 addition to the right.

Right: View east toward the 1909 addition at the Peircedu Pont House shows new entrance extension added to the old house (center of photo) and the caretaker’s wing on the northeast (to the left).

“As to the outside appearance, I wish to warn you against over-ornamentation.

The old house is extremely plain, and the new addition should not be the least bit over-elaborate.”

—Pierre S. du Pont

finished …. It is 132 feet long, 26 feet wide and is divided into four compartments; the first two are intended for flowers and vegetables requiring high temperature; the third for vegetables requiring low temperature and the fourth will be the grapery and used to store some hardy plants.

This greenhouse is in charge of the head flower gardener and the vegetable gardener who are supposed to be capable of attending to it. The produce of the greenhouse is to be brought to the dwelling house for disposal by the caretaker. The owner is to have first choice, but probably the caretaker will find a quantity of vegetables for his table. No definite arrangements can be made at this time, as the amount of vegetables to be raised is not certain.”

But within a year or two, plenty of vegetables were available out of season.

The March 1914 accounting of greenhouse vegetables produced for the residence was very precise, down to individual heads

and bunches. Always the businessman, Pierre was starting to run Longwood as a “general farming, construction, and experimenting on road building” operation, which he incorporated in 1914, and insisted on accurate records, ultimately for tax purposes. A new accounting system for Longwood, Inc., began on January 1, 1915.

At the same time as ordering the vegetable garden greenhouse, Pierre made overtures to Pierson U-Bar about finally building the house conservatory.

Presumably he was already in discussion with Wilmington architect Walter S. Brown (1877–1931) of Brown & Whiteside to almost double the size of the house with a massive addition to the north, mimicking the original Peirce House exterior to the south.

Pierre sent Pierson U-Bar six plans and elevations and subsequently two photos of the southern and western façades to inspire Pierson’s designer. A year later, in August 1913, Lincoln Pierson and possibly head 41

greenhouse designer Louis Bird visited to see the site for the proposed Winter Garden. In September 1913, Pierson sent what was probably the first design for the house conservatory.

Pierre was generally pleased but noted that no heating pipes were to be above ground; that there was to be maximum light penetration, always using clear glass and never ground glass, with shading provided by a screen or shade; that he wanted two compartments, an outer lean-to greenhouse (which became the entrance vestibule) maintained at a lower temperature than the main compartment, thus requiring a second line of moving sashes paralleling the exterior sashes; that the entrance door might look better centered between the existing house and the proposed new wing; and that he preferred no interior columns.

Revised conservatory plans were sent in late October 1913 after another meeting with Louis Bird. On an undated, handwritten memo to himself (early 1914?), Pierre notes, “Why not abandon sliding window idea? Make upper sash to open on hinges only, if necessary take off and store on roof. All lower sash to be unhinged and passed through slot door into cellar of old house, roller in door, screens same ‌.â€?

Eventually, a satisfactory design was reached with sliding sashes, as shown in an elegant rendering of the proposed wing and conservatory drawn on a photograph of the original house and 1909 addition. Some of the extant blueprints are identified with combined Brown & Whiteside and Pierson U-Bar credits, so it was a collaborative project, but a Brown & Right: Blueprint showing elevations and sections of first conservatory design from Pierson U-Bar, September 1913. At top left, this elevation looking east at the structure from the driveway shows a built-up foundation wall. The pilastered entrance door is off center because of the protruding 1909 addition to the right. At bottom left, the plan shows two planting beds with a fountain against the east wall. Above-ground radiators covered with flat table surfaces hug the interior perimeter. At top right, this section looking south shows the basement pockets for the sliding sashes. There are solid flat roofs adjoining each side of the pitched glass roof. And at bottom right, this elevation from inside looking west shows curving structural elements. The steps built in 1909 to the old house are to the left. Courtesy Hagley Museum and Library.

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Left: The March 1914 accounting of greenhouse vegetables produced for the residence was very precise, down to individual heads and bunches. Always the businessman, Pierre was starting to run Longwood as a “general farming, construction, and experimenting on road building” operation, which he incorporated in 1914, and insisted on accurate records, ultimately for tax purposes.

A new accounting system for Longwood, Inc., began on January 1, 1915.

Below right: The 1912 vegetable garden greenhouse and gardener’s house are shown during demolition in 1981.

Longwood’s Terrace Restaurant was built on this site. The smaller greenhouse to the right was a later addition.

Whiteside artist probably produced the rendering. The drawing is virtually as built, except the railings above the entrance arcade and the second story are drawn more elaborately than what was installed. However, rather than enclose the wide entrance vestibule that Pierre had envisioned as a separate partition, he left it open, although the existing interior arcade is fitted with the same sliding sash mechanism as the exterior arcade so the second story windows and screens could be lowered into the basement.

(Today, however, both windows and screens are positioned next to each other at the second story level and are no longer moved.)

By January 1914, Brown & Whiteside were still working on ideas for the new basement and third floor. By late February, Pierre was discussing the fee structure to be paid to Brown & Whiteside as the main architects. By March, the basic drawings and specifications were largely finished and outlined in a 57-page contract. The projected construction 44

cost was estimated at $75,000, excluding the design for an elliptical stairway, interior woodwork, and an electrical carpet rolling device for the largest room, the library on the new first floor. Construction was underway that spring.

By April 1914, Pierre had decided to put a metal grill pavement around the entire conservatory to hide the main radiators; that was “entirely a new thought” to architect Walter Brown. The steel for the house was ordered that same month, priced at $4,800 including basic erection. That fall, Pierre was heavily involved with ordering lighting and plumbing fixtures, custom woodwork, fabrics, and furniture, putting his usual deep thought into every decision. But by Thanksgiving Pierre noted that construction delays were postponing his decorating choices. Samples of woodcarving for the library were authorized in January 1915 and artistic zodiac cover plates for the library’s electrical outlets were ordered in February.

The library woodwork and flooring were installed in March with subsequent finishing.

In April, Pierre purchased a huge curtain cabled to hang below the conservatory roof to provide shading. In September, construction was progressing for a two-lane bowling alley in the basement, with a curious skylight —a glass-bottomed outdoor fishpond next to the west wall of the new library. (The pond has since been removed.) Meanwhile, in October 1915, Pierre married Alice Belin, but she seems to have been little involved in decorating the house, other than approving furniture for her own second-floor suite of rooms.

The first written description of the addition probably appeared in the Wilmington newspapers after the June 12, 1915, Garden Party. The next day the Sunday Star reported, “Mr. du Pont’s house is partly old, and partly new and it is hard to decide which is the more charming half of the two.

The house is shaped like the letter E with the middle arm left out, and in its place a square

Left: Rendering drawn on a photograph showing the proposed residential addition (left) and conservatory. The arch motif will reappear repeatedly in the much larger Orangery and Main Fountain Garden to be built in the 1920s.

Above: Construction of the 1914 addition at the northwest corner of the future house library.

Below: View of the encased steel beams from the second floor.

court or patio with a roof of glass on a level with the roof of the house. This court has a large square of grass in the centre, is flanked with flowers and shrubs, and crossed with paved paths leading into the two wings of the house one of which, the new part, was devoted to the ladies [to freshen up for the Garden Party], the old part being reserved for the men. The stairs and woodwork in the halls are of fragrant unstained teak wood. Opening on the patio and forming one whole end of the house, is a stunning big library with books from floor to ceiling, huge fireplaces and a profusion of comfortable chairs and couches. From the second floor hall windows one may look down into the court and out on the lawn.

After removing all traces of the dusty ride, the guests emerged on to the grassy terrace before the house where they were received by their host …with two of his sisters ….”

By November 1915, all the library furnishings were installed, although work

was ongoing to get the rug-rolling machine to work properly. In April 1916, the addition was finally finished and valued at $116,673 (about $3 million today), for which the architect received $5,563 (about $140,000 today). The total area of the house had been increased to 11,280 square feet, with 11 major new rooms on three floors, excluding bathrooms, closets, and basement spaces.

As of 1919, the entire house was valued at $156,199 and its contents at $210,000, or together $410,000 for replacement value (about $6 million today, excluding historic value and hard-to-find artisanship).

Architect Walter S. Brown wrote to Pierre on March 11, 1915, as the major construction was finishing, “I believe that we have accomplished together, something quite individual and distinctive, without being freakish or overworked, and when the gardens is planted, and the house is furnished, it will all be very pleasing and attractive.” Two years later, Brown &

Whiteside sent Pierre a copy of the July 1917 The Architectural Review with a 47-page article with 86 photos on John Deering’s palatial estate in Miami. Pierre responded, “I cannot imagine anything worse than ‘Vizcaya’. I am thankful that I had a good architect.” Presumably Pierre was referring more to the ornate interiors than to the gardens, which were filled with water features not unlike what he would build at Longwood. In any event, Longwood’s first garden atrium was a great success and would inspire a much grander vision almost immediately.

A Century of Floral Sun Parlors: Part Three will appear in the next issue of Longwood Chimes.

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Peirce-du Pont House Entrance Arcade Innovations Below: Custom hinged-at-theside windows were made by the William Jackson Company of Brooklyn, NY. In 1929 Pierre purchased one center door, eight pairs of hinged windows and screens for the first floor, and nine pairs for the second floor of the conservatory for about $10,000. These replaced the wooden sash installed in 1914 or 1915. The bronze windows drop down into the basement and the

screens raise up just as the wooden units did, except the center door is no longer used to access the interior, and two side windows have been converted into doors. Metal plates at floor level cover the slots where the windows slide up and down. The secondstory windows and screens have similar mechanisms, although they are no longer moved and remain in place together at the upper level.

Above: In the basement, bronze screens hang on heavy-duty roller sash chains until summer when they will be slid upstairs. Between the screens hang the counterweights for the glass windows in place on the main floor; the counterweights for the screens are hidden upstairs in the entry vestibule wall.

Above: Detail of recessed heavy-duty roller sash chain.

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Right: The warm, light-filled Peirce-du Pont House conservatory is the ideal setting for this Orchid Extravaganza display, January 2015. Photo by Carol DeGuiseppi.

Above: Longwood still displays the flags that Pierre du Pont installed: United Kingdom, Pennsylvania, USA, Delaware, and France, representing the countries and states closely associated with the Peirces and du Ponts. Photo by Hank Davis.

Left: The entrance arcade was originally planned to be a separate cool compartment, probably with a glass roof, but Pierre ultimately decided against a partition.

The columns in the foreground enclose the chains and counterweights for the secondstory sliding windows just like the faรงade wall beyond. There are removable floor plates covering the slots between the columns of both arcades. Photo by Bob Doerr.

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End Notes

A Plantsman and a Gentleman

One of the country’s most recognized horticulturists, Dr. Richard Lighty, caps a stellar career as he retires from the Longwood Gardens Board of Trustees.

Above: Dr. Richard Lighty and his wife Sally proved to be an excellent team to teach and mentor the first groups of Fellows. Photo by Dave Thompson.

Above: Dr. Richard Lighty hybridizing delphiniums at Longwood, 1964. Photo by Gottlieb Hampfler.

Right: A titan arum, Amorphophallus titanum, received from Sumatra in 1957, flowered at Longwood in April 1961. Dr. W. H. Hodge photographs the tiny flowers inside the leaflike spathe of the inflorescence, while Elaine Hampfler, research assistant, and Richard Lighty, geneticist, observe. Photo by Gottlieb Hampfler.

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Above, left to right: Dr. James Swasey, who served as the Graduate Program’s second coordinator from 1984–2005; Dr. Robert Lyons, who served as coordinator from 2005 –14; and Dr. Richard Lighty, who served as the first coordinator from 1967–84.

Photo by Dave Thompson.

“Dick did a wonderful job in starting up the program and putting it on the map nationwide, if not worldwide, but his single most important contribution may have been to coin the terms ‘public horticulture’ and ‘public garden’.”

—Fred Roberts, Director, Longwood Gardens, 1984–2006

On November 7, 2019, scientist, plantsman, explorer, and educator Dr. Richard “Dick” Lighty retired from the Longwood Gardens Board of Trustees after 34 years of service to the Gardens and countless more to the world of horticulture.

In September 1960, Dick began employment as Longwood’s first geneticist and plant breeder, notably for camellias, penstemons, and delphiniums. He also participated in a Longwood/USDA plant exploration trip to Korea in 1966, collecting 450 specimens.

In 1967 he joined the University of Delaware as the first coordinator of the Longwood Graduate Program in Ornamental Horticulture, where for the next 16 years he mentored more than 75 Fellows, many of whom became outstanding leaders of America’s public gardens.

In 1983 he became the first director of the Mt. Cuba Center for the Study of Piedmont Flora until his retirement in 1998.

As a plantsman, he has named and introduced more than 30 species and cultivars new to American horticulture and has explored for plants in Korea, Japan, Central America, Nigeria, and the eastern North American Piedmont.

Dick served on at least 10 other botanical and educational boards and received at least a dozen awards of regional and national significance, making him one of the country’s most recognized horticulturists.

One of the first to define the role of the public garden, Dick generously shared his expertise with enthusiasm and worked diligently to promote public horticulture at all levels across the country.

We are grateful for his distinguished service, not only to Longwood, but to the world of horticulture.

Above: Dr. Richard Lighty at Longwood Gardens, November 7, 2019. Photo

by Carlos Alejandro.

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Longwood Chimes

No. 300 Winter 2020

Front Cover View of first issue of the publication now known as Longwood Chimes, 1957.

The staff newsletter was the creation of Deni Seibert, the wife of Longwood’s first director, Russell Seibert.

Deni worked on the publication with Harriette Black, Betty Collins, Mary Plunkett, Katherine Farquhar, Shirley Reed, and Betty Butler. A prominent question mark appears on the front cover of the yet-to-be-named publication. Photo by Daniel Traub.

Back Cover Trees in Peirce’s Park, c.

1910s. The wagon seen in the background was a sprayer used for treating chestnut blight. Hagley Museum and Library.

Inside Covers Inside Front: View of cascade chrysanthemum pruning at Longwood’s production greenhouse facility.

Inside Back: Experimental infrared photograph of chrysanthemum growing at Longwood’s production greenhouse facility.

Photos by Gottlieb Hampfler, August, 1962. Longwood Gardens Library & Archives.

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Editorial Board Marnie Conley Patricia Evans Steve Fenton Julie Landgrebe Sarah Masterton Katie Mobley Colvin Randall Judy Stevenson James S. Sutton Matt Taylor, Ph.D.

Contributors This Issue Longwood Staff and Volunteer Contributors Kristina Aguilar Plant Records Manager Hank Davis Volunteer Photographer Maureen McCadden Digital Resource Specialist Alison Minor Archivist Other Contributors Carlos Alejandro Photographer Laurie Carrozzino Photographer Lynn Schuessler Copyeditor Daniel Traub Photographer Barbara Wheeler Longwood Fellow

Distribution Longwood Chimes is mailed to Longwood Gardens Staff, Pensioners, Volunteers, and Gardens Preferred and Premium Level Members, and is available electronically to all Longwood Gardens Members via longwoodgardens.org.

Longwood Chimes is produced twice annually by and for Longwood Gardens, Inc.

Contact As we went to print, every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of all information contained within this publication. Contact us at chimes@longwoodgardens.org. © 2020 Longwood Gardens.

All rights reserved.

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“I am alarmed when it happens that I have walked a mile into the woods bodily, without getting there in spirit.”

—Henry David Thoreau, Walking

Longwood Gardens is the living legacy of Pierre S. du Pont, inspiring people through excellence in garden design, horticulture, education, and the arts.

Longwood Gardens P.O. Box 501 Kennett Square, PA 19348 longwoodgardens.org

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