For the fifth year, Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania presents its Wine and Jazz Festival. Enjoy a full day of great jazz, Pennsylvania wines, and wonderful food while enjoying the spectacular gardens. Price includes admission to the gardens all day. Performers begin at twelve noon and the last performance begins at 4:30. Each performance is an hour long and includes the Tony Miceli Quartet, Kenny Barron Trio, the New York Voices, and Ravi Coltrane Quartet. There will be 18 different Pennsylvania wineries participating. For more information call 610-399-1000.
Why not combine Longwood Garden’s Orchid Extravaganza with the Philadelphia Flower Show? The Orchid Extravaganza runs from January 22 through March 27, 2011. You will see thousands of orchids from all over the world. It culminates in the ”International Orchid Show & Sale.”  For more information on Longwood www.longwoodgardens.org
The Philadelphia International Flower Show, featuring “Springtime in Paris” run from March 6 through March 13. For more information on the flower show http://www.theflowershow.com/ShowInfo/index.html
Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast www.hamanassett.com is only a 20 minute drive to Longwood and 30 minutes from Philadelphia. For even more convenience to Philadelphia you can drive 10 minutes and take the train in.
I just came across a fabulous web site if you still need inspriation to come the Brandywine Valley during the Holiday Season. The web site is www.donnan.com/Longwood-Christmas.htm and it has fabulous pictures as well as the sounds of Justin Hartz who led a Christmas carole sing-along in the Grand Ballroom while playing Longwood Garden’s 10,010 pipe Aeolian Organ. Below we see one of the nine pipe chambers that line the right wall of the room shown in the photo above.  Below that is a picture taken in the four acre conservatory.Â
All year long we consider ourselves so fortunate to live in such a beautiful area. This is even more true during the holiday season. Below are just a few of the events going on the Brandywine Valley during November and December. Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast is within a 10-25 minute drive of all the attractions and we still have availability for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Not to be missed, the always enchanting Longwood Gardens. See their 52 baskets of poinsettias in the conservatory. This year they are hanging white poinsettias rather than the traditional red. For railroad buffs, there is the garden railway display. As always, the Brandywine River Museum has an incredible train display.  It is one of my favorite places to go during the holiday season.
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GARDEN RAILWAY DISPLAY
Imaginations embark on a journey through a marvelous landscape and fanciful miniature railway in the Idea Garden.Â
This year’s display features Thomas the Train along with new bridges and new water features.
The Garden Railway will operate 9am to 5pm through November 24 and then transform into the Christmas Railway from November 25 through January 9, 2011.
This event occurs on the following dates:
Daily from Tuesday, September 07, 2010 through Wednesday, November 24, 2010 9:00 AM — 5:00 PM
Daily from Thursday, November 25, 2010 through Saturday, January 09, 2010
9:00 AM — 9:00
 November 20, 2010-January 9, 2011
Experience traditions of the past and dazzling holiday entertaining displays in this special wintertime tour. New this year are vignettes depicting mid-1800s Christmas celebrations at Winterthur and the January 1938 wedding festivities of Pauline Louise du Pont. Garden-inspired trees and the perennial favorite, Winterthur’s magnificent dried-flower tree, will also be on display. A full series of special events, performances, and workshops will help to make your season bright.Â
Winterthur is open on Mondays throughout the Yuletide season. Tuesdays, December 7, 14, 21, and 28 feature extended hours with evening tours and shopping and dining opportunities.
Tour reservations are recommended. Purchase tickets there or call 800.448.3883 or 302.888.4600.Â
Even Nemours is decorated and open for the holidays. Their hours for holiday tours are from 11/5/10 through 12/31/10. Reservations are definitely suggested.
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A toy monkey found in the attic of the Nemours Mansion sits under a Christmas tree in the main foyer Monday. (The News Journal)
Longwood’s managed meadow is full of amazing wildflowers all summer. Sunflowers, goldenrod, aster, and lobelia will all bloom while moths, butterflies and birds fly through the meadow.
Get a special guided tour of this beautiful and serene part of the Gardens. The tour guides who lead you through this dynamic space are a well-informed, lively bunch that conduct in-depth, fun tours of this beautiful area. Meet at the Peirce-du Pont House porch. Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast still has rooms available for all of these dates but they are filling up fast so plan your flower adventure and then give us a call.
Well, this word “culinature” is Longwood’s word. I’m amazed how many new words keep cropping up to define the simple task of eating. But this special event is anything but simple. Take a culinary tour of the Gardens and savor an amazing seasonal feast as you travel to different Garden spots for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, dinner and dessert.
Enjoy dinner music and watch Longwood’s chefs create your meal with local Chester County and Brandywine Valley produce in “field kitchens.”  Delight in the flavorful tastes of autumn—fresh from the harvest to your table.  The menu includes passed trays of specialty beverages, a bar snack, passed hors d’oeuvres, and the chef’s field kitchen featuring pulled BBQ duck crepes. The first course is an apple and butternut squash bisque. This is followed by a salad and an entree of pumpkin seed French cut chicken breast, celery root, squid ink pasta cake, brussels sprout slaw and roasted carrot with Longwood thyme emulsion. The grand finale is a dessert reception. You will be invited to the main fountain garden for dessert and fountain show where you will be greeted with passed trays of spiced rum apple cider with morello cherry coulis, local wine poached seckel pears stuffed with cinnamon mascarpone, pumpkin gingersnap trifle, and cnocolate pecan tarts. Please note: menu is subject to change based on availability of fresh menu items.
 Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast is only a 15 minute drive from Longwood Gardens and we still have a few rooms and the cottages available for that weekend.
$175 per person
Garden Pass Members receive a 15% discount ($149 per person)
Prices include Garden Admission. Buy tickets online or by calling 610-3885
What a great way to ease into fall. Get ready for an evening of oohs and aahs as Longwood Gardens presents spectacular fireworks and fountains shows guaranteed to make your summer memorable.  There are only two left this season so don’t wait. Come for a visit at Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast which is only a 15-20 minute drive from the gardens. The last two shows promise to be memorable. Ausut 14, 2010 will feature The Beatles. Relive the British Invation and celebrate one of the most popular groups of all time.
September 5 is the Gershwin Gala. Enjoy the unforgettable works of George Gershwin come to life including selections from An American in Paris, Porgy & Bess, and Rhapsody in Blue.  If you haven’t been to the Brandywine Valley or haven’t been recently, there are a multitude of attractions for you to enjoy in addition to Longwood Gardens. There is Winterthur, a DuPont Country Estate, the Brandywine River Museum (home of 3 generations of Wyeths plus other celebrated Brandywine Valley artists) the Barnes Museum, Hagley and lots of antique shops. All are within a 15-40 minute drive from Hamanassett.
Although most famous for Longwood Gardens near Kennett Square, Pa. the Brandywine Valley is lucky to have so many beautiful gardens, all within a 30 minute drive of Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast. May and June are two of the most beautiful months to visit.
TYLER ARBORETUM
515 Painter Road
Media, PA 19063
610-566-9134One of the oldest arboreta in the northeastern United States, Tyler Arboretum encompasses 650 acres of renowned plant collections, champion trees, historic buildings, and 20 miles of hiking trails through woodlands, wetlands, and meadows. The Arboretum offers workshops, classes, and tours for adults and children throughout the year. Tyler Arboretum is a short 10 minute drive Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast, one of the premier lodging establishments in the Brandywine Valley.www.tylerarboretum.org
500 College Ave
Swarthmore, PA 19081
(610) 328-8025
On the campus of Swarthmore College is a lush oasis of lilacs, magnolias, and azaleas. The Scott Arboretum encompasses over 300 acres, each bursting with color from nearly 3,000 varieties of plants. For the aspiring gardener, there is a horticultural reference library with information about how the Arboretum’s plants are grown and nurtured. Visit their website for a complete listing of workshops, guided tours, lectures and more. Scott Arboretum and Swarthmore College is only 15 minutes from Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast.
A 35-acre pleasure garden featuring courtyards of tropicals and perennials, vegetable garden, woodlands, water garden and ruin garden. Tens of thousands of bulbs clothe the ground in the spring, followed by orchards of flowering trees with native wildflowers blooming in the woods.
Chanticleer was the estate of Christine and Adolph Rosengarten, Sr. and opened as a public garden in 1993. Only a short 20 minute drive from Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast.
In 1906, Pierre S. du Pont purchased the Peirce Arboretum to save its trees from being cut for lumber. Over the next nearly half century, Mr. du Pont developed Longwood Gardens into what it is today, a magnificent horticultural showplace.
We invite you to visit Longwood Gardens, which now encompasses 1,050 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows. Enjoy over 11,000 types of plants, more fountains than any other garden in the US, educational and visitor programming, and over 400 performances a year. 15 minutes from Hamanassett.
Set among spectacular French formal gardens, this is the 300-acre estate of Alfred I. duPont. One of the finest examples of French-style gardens in America exquisitely landscaped with fountains, pools, and statuary surrounded by natural woodlands. They cover 222 acres and closely follow the model of Petit Trianon at Versailles. Reservations are highly recommended. 25 minutes from Hamanassett.
1810 N. Dupont Street
Wilmington, DE 19806
Phone (302) 658-6262
Fax (302) 658-6267
The georgeous gardens at DCH are an oasis in the city. Free and open to the public, the grounds overlook Brandywine Park.
The Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH) is a non-profit community resource organization dedicated to promoting knowledge and appreciation of gardening, horticulture, and conservation. DCH’s two community program areas–Educational Programs and Greening Initiatives– focus on the greening of our urban environment and include educational programs for children, teens, and adults. Our work includes community gardens, public landscaping, roadside beautification, tree programs, and community events.
3120 Barley Mill Road
Hockessin, DE 19707
(302) 239-4244
Mt. Cuba Center is recognized as having the region’s finest woodland wildflower gardens. Guided garden tours provide an excellent overview of our naturalistic gardens. Learn about the history, design, and plant diversity that make Mt. Cuba Center a unique regional treasure. Each tour is conducted by a knowledgeable docent and includes a group of approximately 10-15 people.
Horticultural research at Mt. Cuba Center seeks to evaluate, introduce, distribute, and promote plants of the Appalachian Piedmont worthy of wider use in gardening. This is accomplished through plant exploration, propagation, evaluation, and collaborative research activities that benefit the gardening public, horticultural industry, landscape designers and architects, and conservation community.
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