Pierre S. du Pont Archives

An Event to Remember

I returned from the "Designing Water" symposium at Longwood Gardens the other day filled with a complex set of impressions - three of which I'll share with you here. q First, a visit to Kennett Square, Pa., to see

It's a bit misleading to say that Longwood Gardens' Main Fountain Garden is 'back,' observes Robert Nonemaker, declaring that the $90 million revitalization has produced something that recalls the original -- but exceeds it on so many levels that it's almost beyond comparison.

Just Awesome

To say that I've avidly followed the just-completed process of restoring and renovating the Main Fountain Garden at Longwood Gardens is putting it mildly: This water display has been part of my life since I was ten years old, and I'm proud to say that it's responsible both for my profound interest in water in motion and in some ways for my being a professional watershaper today. So it makes sense that I was there at Longwood Gardens (Kennett Square, Pa.) on May 27, 2017, when the fountain

In the year to come, the renowned Main Fountain at Longwood Gardens will be undergoing a mass-scale renovation. Robert Nonemaker is tracking the process for us, beginning here with an insider's report on the grand display's gradual decline -- and imminent rebirth.

Imagination Renewed

When the management at Longwood Gardens announced in late 2014 that the Main Fountain Garden would be taken offline and become the subject of a $90 million restoration project, anyone who has ever visited the gardens had to be happy. I've been a regular visitor and huge fan of the Longwood for most of my life, and it's been sad through the years to watch various systems break down and the overall performance of what was left gradually