Silver Room at Longwood Gardens

There is something magical about silver foliage. It’s mystical is it not? It has so many different mysterious features, and sparkles in the hot sun that it usually grows in. I think what’s even more magical about this room is that it combines “silver” foliage from around the world. It’s a succulent/cacti/silver foliage person’s dream room, truly.

In the middle of the silver room, you can find this gorgeous creature (below) and all the other colors in the room stand out, like the jade plant’s pink edges. Or the tilandsia’s flowers. Their giant tilandsia’s are a reminder of one we once had in St Croix, which was magical growing out of one of the palm trees near the house. It didn’t last through one of the hurricane seasons unfortunately.

Fern Passage at Longwood Gardens

I could just walk up and down the fern passage all day. There are little nooks and crannies that you find magical plants. And don’t forget to look up. The size of the staghorn ferns in this area remind us that our bathrooms aren’t really the perfect place for them to live, that with care they could be larger than most of our bathrooms could ever take.

Grow Houses with Cockscomb and Dwarf Sunflowers at Longwood Gardens

Something about walking through the grow houses and areas behind the main rooms really pulls me in. The trials from sunflowers to cockscomb to other random plants reminds me of the kind of greenhouse that us home gardeners wish we could do and imagine ourselves doing. It seems attainable, which is why it feels much more inspiring. Cockscomb are one of my newest favorite flowers after a few videos I had seen from Floret Flower on instagram about their trials I have a few in my notifications list on their website to plant out this summer (sorry mom, yes more flowers). Don’t worry I also emailed about five allotment people, I doubt anyone will let me in since I don’t live in any of the towns where the allotment plots are (they are super small like ONE raised bed), but still I keep trying so I can plant more flowers.

The Tropical Room at Longwood Gardens

Speaking of tilandsia, let’s just cover an entire door with them. This was one of my favorite elements the first time I came to longwood, and it remains to be. I mean, COME ON, how could this not be magical?

The bromiliad seen below however were the most surprising. It’s just we never SEE them in flower in St Croix. I am sure we would if we spent more of the wet season there, but who knew the little flowers were gorgeous little lilac colored tiny things that are in the water! Dreamy if you ask me.

Bonsai Collection at Longwood Gardens

Last but not least, the thing I took the least amount of photos of, but one of the coolest parts of Longwood. There’s a long window looking in on the bonsai room where you can see all these different varieties, from annual Bonsai (so cool) to really old ones that are twenty plus years old. One time when visiting longwood there was a pomegranate tree with a full sized almost ripe fruit hanging off. Boy I wish I had a photo of that to show you!