Longwood glitter

By Mary Alice Garrett

This story originally appeared December 13, 2001 in The News Journal of Wilmington, Delaware.

Always popular at Christmas, Longwood Gardens assumes an even deeper purpose this holiday season.

"People are staying closer to home [since Sept. 11] and are coming to Longwood," said Pam Carter, public relations assistant. "On a good day we get 10,000 people."

Visitors are taking solace in the traditional yuletide spectacle of 400,000 twinkling outdoor lights, more than 2,000 poinsettias, dancing illuminated fountains and uplifting Christmas music.

Carter expects 190,000 visitors to view the seasonal display, which opened Thanksgiving Day and will run through Jan. 6.

Sixty-two trees and 17 special displays make up the outdoor presentation. The indoor display emphasizes horticulture, for which Longwood is world—famous.

Planning for both displays begins a year in advance and involves all of Longwood’s gardeners, students and volunteer personnel.

"Everybody gets involved in Christmas here, in one way or another," said Mary Allinson, section gardener who’s been a member of the Christmas committee for 15 years.

One hundred and fifty people worked double shifts for three and a half days to complete the four-acre indoor display. Six people worked 13 hours stringing lights on the 24-foot Douglas fir that stands in the Exhibition Hall.

The outdoor lighting crew of 70 began its work in September. Workers, male and female, used bucket trucks to reach the tallest trees. Most of the trees are lit in a cone shape. Others, like Japanese flowering dogwoods and copper beeches, are lit following their shapes, according to foreman Phil Gruszka.

"We don’t change from year to year," said Gruszka. "The [light colors are pretty much the same — clear, green, red, blue and amber."

Inside the conservatories, a patriotic theme dominates among the 21 small fir trees decorated by area schoolchildren.

"They were allowed to do anything they wanted," noted Allinson. Many chose red, white and blue for their handmade ornaments, the majority made of natural seed pods and cones.

"l like when kids participate," said Roslyne Rosenberg of Granbury N.J., who visits Longwood each Christmas.

Also visiting from New Jersey were Angela Accinno and Hedy Karpinski. Both attended a recent organ singalong in the new Rose Pavilion. "It puts you right in the mood [for Christmas]," said Accinno, adding, "We need it this year."

Performing-arts director Priscilla Johnson noted that the "singalongs" (with an organist) are a perennial favorite, especially with bus-tour groups. The tradition began in the early 1980s along with the appearance of local choral and handbell groups.

Of the 30 choral groups performing this year, 11 are from Delaware. The remainder are from Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey.

“It’s the one time that we really emphasize community groups," said Johnson. "We have a number of high-school and colege groups this year."

There’s always a backlog of choruses waiting to perform at Longwood, so that no one group appears more than once every two to three years.

Because of renovations in the ballroom and music room, all performing-arts events are held in the Rose Pavilion, a heated structured tent adjoining the conservatories. Johnson added that the pavilion has a large stage and curtain, which the ballroom does not have. Because of this, she will introduce a dance series there in the spring. Renovations in the ballroom and music room are expected to take several years.

Red and cream are the colors of the 2,200 poinsettias in the Orangery and Exhibition Hall. They’re found in single plants, shrubs, standards and hanging baskets. Red and white amaryllis line the borders of the beds. New this year is a Christmas-blooming begonia.

Three area floral designers were invited to decorate trees for garden rooms. The result is a Winter Wonderland tree, two Creepy Crawly Christmas and Frog trees and a Snow Queen tree. Colorful ceramic lizards, frogs and snakes inhabit the unique Creepy Crawly trees in the Tropical Terrace.

Another favorite is the Wildlife Tree outside the Peirce-du Pont House. The tree is strung with edible ornaments suitable for all types of wildlife. Nuzzling nearby are topiary reindeer.

The Gardener's Tree- features ornaments fashioned from the remains of a garden. Both the Wildlife and Gardener's trees contain ideas for the do-it-yourself gardener/decorator, said Allinson.

Colorful fountain displays — temperature permitting — are featured every 30 minutes in the Open Air Theatre.

The Christmas spectacle has come a long way since Longwood’s founder Pierre S. du Pont, tied children’s gifts on a huge tree in Exhibition Hall.

The gifts were the highlight of the annual employee Christmas partiy. In 1962, the display was enhanced by 1,000 poinsettias. The parking lot also was transformed into "Christmas Tree Lane" with the lighting of three trees for six days. The Christmas display has evolved from that into the major attraction it is today.