Photo courtesy of Longwood Gardens - Hank Davis.About two-and-a-half hours from Washington, DC, into the much-discussed swing state of Pennsylvania, is a welcome escape from all that both the impending winter and the political climate threaten. That escape comes in the form of a garden—Longwood Gardens—which on Friday unveiled a long-awaited reimagining of 17 acres of its famous grounds, as well as a freshly constructed 32,000-square-foot glass conservatory, where summer, and all its delights, will exist year-round.  The 1,100-acre Longwood Gardens, in the borough of Kennett Square, has long been a favorite for those looking to bask in springtime azaleas, summer roses, and evening fountain shows that rival those of the Bellagio in Vegas. In fact, it was recently named the prettiest flower garden in the world. The reported $250 million renovation is the most significant change to Longwood Gardens in decades, and the ambitious new chapter for the institution significantly expands the garden’s indoor footprint, growing the physical space where flora and fauna can be basked in even when (or if) the snow falls.  The New York architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi, in conjunction with the landscape architecture firm Reed Hilderbrand, transformed what was once a parking lot on the grounds into the brand-new conservatory. The structure, which lies not far from Longwood’s original 20th century conservatory, was inspired in equal parts by the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe and the rolling hills of the surrounding Brandywine Valley. The sprawling, decidedly modern-looking new space soars to 50 feet at its highest peak and is filled with floating walkways, shallow pools, and carpets of Mediterranean plants including oranges, yucca, lavender, and cypress. From the ceiling hang floral structures that look almost like planted chandeliers. Returning garden visitors may notice the refurbishment of one of Longwood’s most hallowed spaces, the Cascade Garden, a small jewel-box design by famed landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx. Burle Marx’s garden is the only one the Brazilian designer created in North America, and has been painstakingly moved, plant by plant, stone by stone, to a new location 500 feet from its original footprint, to a new glasshouse designed to better allow the plants to thrive. Other developments include the addition of a swanky new fine-dining restaurant, 1906, which has, true to the garden’s devotion of marrying the outdoors and in, floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the fountain. A meal there is worth the trip alone.  If you find, as you very well may, that one day to explore Longwood is not enough, you might make a weekend out of it, basing yourself about a half an hour away in Wilmington, at the historic Hotel Du Pont or the new boutique hotel The Quoin. Photo courtesy Longwood Garden – Hank Davis. Photo courtesy Longwood Garden – Laurie Carrozzino. Photo courtesy Longwood Gardens – Hank Davis. The new conservatory, when not decorated for the holidays. Photo courtesy Longwood Garden – Sahar-Coston-Hardy. Photo courtesy Longwood Garden – Sahar-Coston-Hardy. Photo courtesy Longwood Garden – Albert-Vecerka, Photo courtesy Longwood Garden – Albert-Vecerka, Photo courtesy Longwood Garden – Albert-Vecerka, The 1906 restaurant. Photo courtesy Longwood Garden – Albert-Vecerka, Photo courtesy Longwood Garden – Sahar-Coston-Hardy.The post A Stunning New Garden Near DC Features a Festive Holiday Display first appeared on Washingtonian.