Spring Garden Weekend: Longwood, Winterthur, Mt. Cuba

OK, forget the azaleas, I want to go to Disney with Jen! LOL

Stormy, thanks for helping us figure out the "peak" time! It'll be good to get a date nailed down for this so we can plan around it for spring swaps and other stuff. :-)

I personnaly would want this trip and our swap to be two weeks apart. Many of us will need the weekend before the swap to dig and pot.

If we go the first weekend in May 1st & 2nd or the second weekend the 8th & 9th, that still gives us a free weekend of the 15th & the 16th, before a swap date of the 22nd or the 23rd. I think the first weekend in May would be better because that still leaves us two weekends to choose for the swap. Memorial Day is the weekend of the 29 - 31.

We've done "spring" swaps in early June, also, but I agree that May is better... by June, my leftover tomatoes are looking pretty leggy and sad!

I like the idea of going on "May Day" (May 1) -- seems fitting!

Here are 3 hotels near Longwood:

Staybridge Suites Brandywine

http://www.staybridge.com/h/d/sb/1/en/hotel/PHLFD?&sitrackingid=70565071&sicreative=2970037726&dp=true&sicontent=0&siclientid=1921&cm_mmc=Google-PS-Staybridge-_-G+B-AmericasEast-_-PA-Wilmington-_-staybridge+suites+brandywine%7C-%7C100000000000177831667&cm_guid=1-_-100000000000177831667-_-2970037726&gclid=CJ-_gpjksJ8CFQuenAod60WY1Q&llocaleCode=en


Hilton Garden Inn Kennett Square

http://www.hiltongardeninn.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=PHLKSGI


Fairfield Inn & suites by Marriott Kennett Square

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phlks-fairfield-inn-and-suites-kennett-square/

The Staybridge is about 8 miles from Longwood. The other 2 are within 2 miles of Longwood.

I think that only the Hilton has a restaurant & Bar. The Fairfield Inn serves a continental breakfast. The Staybridge serves a full breakfast bar.

The Staybridge advertises a Longwood Special, for $10 more you get 2 tickets to Longwood. The others have some mention of weekend tourist packages.

Winterthur has a hill planted with azaleas. It is to die for! May is usually a great time to visit Longwood too. If I recall, Mt Cuba has a lot of azaleas also.
Longwood is more family friendly, they even have a fantastic children garden. Most of the grounds are stroller and wheelchair friendly.
In Chadds Ford (10 minutes from Longwood and Winterthur), we now have a Hampton Inn, a Holiday Inn ( I think it changed name lately), a Best Western and a suite hotel (Homewood or similar).

Hampton Inn Chadds Ford

http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hotels/accommodations.jhtml?ctyhocn=CFORDHX

Villiers, All of the others are listed as being up on Rt# 202 in Concordville. Are they what you are referring too?

Concordville and Chadds Ford are literally next to each other, with rte 202 separating them. There are 4 hotels within a mile. With all these hotels so close to each other, there must be some competition for customers.

I'll bet we could get a group discount, also. So far, it sounds like we have at least 6 interested parties: us, Stormy, Holly/Ric, Gmutti, Roses, and FlowerJen. The hotel down the street for us gives discounts if you get 6 or more rooms; I don't know if that's the industry standard. :-)

Critter, some of the websites said to contact them if you wanted 5 or more rooms.

I was looking at the calendar Mother's Day is May 9th. I wouldn't want to go away that weekend. I always send that day with my Mom. May1st is my HGHA meeting but I can miss that. and I don't know that we want to go later in May as it might conflict with a Plant Swap. Wonder who will host want to host the Plant Swap this year and when. Someone should step up and volunteer by March I would think.

OK, that's 3 of us who are in favor of May 1st.

ROSES, GROSSMUTTI & JEN, would May 1st work for you?

Here's another Hotel that is located just off of Rt#1 on Rt#52, which is the road that Winterthur is on. All of the hotels that I have posted are located between Longwood & Winterthur. To go further up RT#1 to Rt#202, would be about 9 miles away from Longwood. If anyone needs to return to their room for any reason while we are at Longwood, that would be a 16 mile round trip. All of these hotels are pretty much in the same price range.

http://www.ascendcollection.com/hotel-mendenhall-pennsylvania-PA501/Hotel-Photos?sid=xxspi.Z2LyhgGPJi.12

Holly, you and I will be going to both seed swaps. These would be good times to continue the discussions about the plant swap.

WHOOPS!

I'm really sorry, but May 1 is no good for me after all. Aunt Jill's presence is required at a bat mitzvah that day! On either the previous weekend (our anniversary) or the following weekend (mother's day), I could probably make a good case for Jim & Joyanna to join us. :-)

Keeping in mind potential swap dates, the weekend of April 24th & 25th might work better, although I'm not sure how many azaleas we would see that early. But we would probably see more bulbs.

I don't see how any April weekends would work for a swap date as, at least in Pa and certainly central and Northern Jersey, there are not that many perennials above ground to identitfy those which could use dividing.

I think swaps would more likely be later in May (for a more southern location) or in June (for a more northern location). The weekend after Mother's Day might be good for a spring swap (or Mother's Day weekend, depending on whether people have plans for that Saturday).

I think any time in the late April to early May timeframe should be spectacular -- we'll see more/fewer bulbs, azaleas, or wildflowers depending on when exactly we go, but I don't think everything will peak all on the same weekend regardless. :-)

Does the weekend of April 24/25 work for anybody else?

I would rather not miss our HGHA meeting on May 1st but was willing if that date suited the most people. I don't see anything on the calendar for April 24/25 and May 15/16 would also work depending on spring swap dates. I know that it would be nice to set aside a date now but we can wait a bit and see how the swap dates set up.

Jen, Roses, Grossmutti, How does the April date sound to you?

I'm waiting to hear from my step mil, I'll let you know.

I think that the April dates will be fine for us. We will also consider a plant swap here in mid to late May when more of our plants are discernible.

It looks like II could make the April dates as well! Will Mt. Cuba be able to accommodate us? I believe from their web site you have to make prior arrangements to visit them.

Jessica, That's only for groups of 10 or more.

I'd also like to mention that anyone is welcome to join us for just one day of the weekend if they don't want to stay over.

I thought I would bump this up.

Thanks, Holly! I had thought I'd be able to organize a hotel etc... but I have a family commitment (godson's first communion) the weekend of April 25 that I didn't have on my calendar when we were planning this. May 15/16 might work for us. I can't make firm plans right now, though, have some things to get figured out this week... but I could still put $ down (preferably refundable) for a hotel room. If the best date for everybody else is April 25, that's fine... we may just head out that way on our own or go next year! :-)

I'm hoping somebody will see about organizing the logistics for this weekend -- finalize date, call a couple of hotels and see what sort of group rate they might be able to give us, that sort of thing. I'm sorry that I can't step up to that role, hopefully I can help organize the next expedition instead!

We could do May 1st and 2nd, or 15th and 16th as alternatives to the April 25, 26 dates.

Will there still be enough flowers on May 15/16? I don't want y'all to miss the good blooming time because I couldn't go then! :-) It just doesn't make sense for me to organize it if I'm not sure I can go.

We are still interested in going but a few things are crowding in. Beck hasn't set a firm date for her swap yet and we have a couple of family things going on. My DIL Deb is having some surgery end of April and daughter Jul wants a big party for her 40th in May. Mostly we were interested in the Spring Bulbs and the Azalea bloom. Lets see who is still interested in going for a weekend or coming for a day and if we can come up with a date. I know Beck was narrowing down the dates for her swap.

We have just returned from being out of the country for two months and are seriously jet lagged. I have minor surgery scheduled for April 22, which I had considered changing. However, as I look at all the work there is to do around here and the catching up with family, other commitments, etc., I think we will pass on this wonderful excursion for this year. Hope some of you can make it because it is a marvelous idea. Jessica

Jessica, Glad you are home. Hope the trip was a good one. I hope we get to hear all about it at R_R_R's plant swap. Oh I know what you mean about catching up. Ric and I use to go away for just 2 weeks in the spring and when we came home everything needed done at once. LOL

Are you guys still planning this??? What's the latest?

I think this would have been the weekend...

I never heard that anybody had stepped forward to organize hotels or what not (I was going to do that before discovering that my nephew & godson would have his First Communion this weekend -- fun family celebration!).

Holly & I were thinking that next January we'd get busy picking a date & a hotel etc. in January so everybody could plan to go next spring!

I'm not saying this year is a bust for sure, but I haven't heard anything definite for a later date. :-)

How about a fall foliage weekend then?

Hey Jen, Things aren't looking good for RIc and I either. We have had one minor illness or injury after another. Trying to get up enough energy to get the things done that need to be finished before our daughters big party. I was thinking of just a day trip but right now I haven't the energy for that either.

Fall foliage would be a great excuse to get up into the PA mountains or further toward our friends in the northeast!

I'm in for fall foliage. Right now I'm up to my ears in kids, gardening, and other chores that need to be finished before I start getting overnight guests starting Mother's Day.

Fall trip it is then!!!

OK... we'll need an organizer... and a new thread! :-)

Don't forget Chanticleer Gardens, near Winterthur. http://www.chanticleergarden.org/

Thanks, Judy, I didn't know anything about that one!