I went to Longwood Gardens’ Orchid Extravaganza in February. This is one of my favorite events at Longwood. I went last year too; you can read about that here.
What an entrance! This is the display right when you walk in. I had killed a nice big Tillandsia xerographica the week prior so this just rubbed salt in the wound. They look cool though!
I’m pretty good with plants, but orchids mystify me. I have lots of houseplants and can keep a garden, but I’ve never been able to keep an orchid alive for more than a few months. I don’t even try anymore, but I love to look at them. You can’t tell me those aren’t Mother Nature’s vulvae.
They always have a variety of cool orchids in their orchid house, but during the event, they’re everywhere! These were in the East Hall, Acacia Passage, and Cascade Garden.
I always recommend going to Longwood on a weekday. This day was perfect. It was an unseasonably warm day. There weren’t many people out, so I really got to take my time and enjoy everything. This is my favorite way to visit; a long, leisurely stroll where I get to pause and take my time when I want to, without a double stroller or worse, photographer with a tripod blocking the path.
Look at those wide-open walkways! This is my kind of party.
I think my favorite room in the Conservatory is the Orangery. I mean, just look at all of those layers! I love the contrast of the smooth grass against the busyness of everything else.
Next time I go, I’m going to focus on taking pictures of only one room; I find that when I get home from a trip where I take pictures of everything, there are just too many to choose from. I’ve gone back once since then and didn’t take many pictures because I knew I still had to post these!