“You ain’t seen nothing yet”

These are the words I heard upon entering the Conservatory at Longwood Gardens. The kind old man on his scooter noticed me in my state of shock and awe after seeing the beyond-words-beautiful entrance, and felt the need to warn me about the rest of the place. He was not kidding! This place is just sooooo stunningly gorgeous.

This is the drawing I made from the entrance. Let me explain parts of it: The cage-like structure shaped like a Victorian perfume bottle, is sort of like a humongous tea infuser. But instead of tea, it holds an array of aromatic flowers and as you walk through it, your olfactory system is truly overwhelmed. It is to scent what the Greek amphitheatre is to sound. The columns you see in the drawing are a few of the many that are covered with “Creeping Figs” and make the space feel like a fancy jungle. Everywhere you look you are confronted with the prettiest flora ever. I dare anyone to walk in this place and NOT feel like they “died and gone to heaven”. (Another quote from the day.)

-Despina