Christmas at Longwood Gardens, cont'd

The eastern wing of the conservatory is designed around a water feature.

It contains fountains . . .

. . . and waterfalls.

The plantings around the water are truly breathtaking.

Music has played an important role at Longwood both when it was a home and now as a public garden. There is a wonderful exhibit on organs.

In another room, was this music box which not only looks good but sounds like no other music box that I have ever heard. It doesn't have that typical "tinny" sound. It sounds like an actual recording.

The members of my group had to keep reminding me to take my eyes off of the exhibits and "look up". Some of the ceilings were spectacular.

I really enjoyed the Christmas decorations at Longwood because they were not the typical decorations you see everywhere.

The goodies on this table reminded us that we were hungry and should take a break for lunch.

To get there, we had to pass through another courtyard that contained yet another fountain. I thought the little heron was so cute. I'm learning to enjoy garden whimsies.

This is what is behind the heron.

Here's a view looking the other way.

The members of my group told me later that they had been making fun of me behind my back wondering if my mouth was ever going to close. I was just agog at what I was seeing. Here are some more photos of the entrance I took on our way out of the conservatory.

There was another Christmas tree outside the entrance to the restaurant where we ate lunch. Note the scooter. Longwood Gardens provides scooters so everyone can enjoy the gardens regardless of their age or handicap.

Also outside the restaurant were these "flowers". When we looked more closely, we realized they were lights.

Tomorrow, I will devote the third and final post of this series to the spectacular Christmas lights of Longwood Gardens. People come from miles around just to see the lights.