The Longwood Gardens, in Kennet Square, Pennslyvania, is home to world class fountains. The renowned fountain shows bring in tourists from all over the world. The inspiration for the elaborate shows came from founder Pierre S. Dupont’s visit to the Villa Gamberaia in Italy. He began creating the water gardens in 1925, and finished them two years later. In 1992, the mechanical pump systems were replaced, and Longwood strives to constantly be making technological improvements.
The Main Fountain is made up of a five acre fountain garden. It is inspired from French and Italian styles of design, and uses American technology to make them work. The highest jets send water 130 feet into the air. When the fountain garden is running in full, there is 10,000 gallon of water that move through it each minute. During the Festival of Fountains,Longwood creates a light and music show three nights a week that is controlled by a computer. The lights shine in reds, blues, yellow, greens, and whites. This fountain garden features decorative water canals and fountain basins that are intricately carved fform limestone. The garden is enclosed by Norway Maples that get pruned each winter to keep them in a giant cubed hedge.
The Open Air Theatre is used for theater performances, concerts, and parties at the Longwood Gardens. They were designed after the open theatres of England, and this theater allows for 100 performers below the stage. The stage has seen all types of music played in the theater over its existence. When the Open Air Theatre was expanded and renovated in 1926-27, the fountain system was also enlarged. Seven circular basins with removable lids were added to the main stage floor. A water curtain was also added, along with upper level basins, and roof fountains as well. Under the stage there are 11 recirculating pumps that send 2,000 gallons of water each minute. The pumps send the water through 750 nozzles. The waters are illuminated by over 600 lights in reds, blues, greens, whites, and yellows.
The Italian Water Gardens, inspired by the gardens found in Italy, feature intricate pump systems that create stunning water displays. The love for water features by Pierre S. DuPont is evident in the massive water garden he created. The water garden is pruned by linden trees, ivy, and expansive well trimmed lawns. The garden has 12 small blue tiled pools that have 600 jets of water as well as a stunning water staircase the recirculates 4500 gallons of water through it each minute. This fountains run from mid April to Mid October, from 9:00am until 15 minutes before closing. The water gardens are constantly being update as technology advances. These mechanical improvements help to keep the garden as state of the art as it is.
Besides the fountains listed above, the Longwood Gardens also offers several other water features. The Eye of Water is a contemporary fountain that actually supplies the Waterfall and Main Fountain Garden with water. This fountain sits over a 90,000 gallon reservoir. This fountain will run from 9:00am with the initial surge of roughly 8,000 gallons of water per minute and then drops back to 5,000 per minute for the rest of the day. The Sylvan Fountain is another feature located at the east end of the park, with five water jets. Only one of these jets shoots 40 feet tall. This is powered from the Italian Water Garden pump house. There are also the Round and Square Fountains. The Round Fountain is surrounded by an constantly changing border of annuals and perennials. The Square fountain was built as a reflection area.
Longwood offers a wide variety of water features, along with stunning plants and statuary items. This Garden is definitely worth a visit!
