We can get blasé about having Longwood Gardens in our backyard, but really, this year's Orchid Extravaganza is fantastic and well worth a trip. The colors and shapes of the flowers are stunning, as are the creative ways that the gardeners come up with to arrange them. The opening display at the Conservatory entrance with multiple orchids in a bed of moss was lovely. Of course you'll want to see the orchids in the Conservatory and the Orchid Room, but I thought one of the most interesting and informative parts of the exhibit was actually in the corridor past the bonsai display.
It was a relatively warm day, so after marvelling at the orchids we strolled down to the far side of the rehabbed fountain display. The new carvings of shells and fish are beautifully done, and you can walk through an amazing rock-lined grotto with an oculus in the ceiling that lets in light.
Any engineers in your family would be fascinated to explore the historic pump room, where you can see the machinery that powered the fountains until 2014. The display boards give all kinds of interesting information about the history of the fountain displays, and I especially enjoyed seeing Pierre duPont's hand-written hydraulic calculations.
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