Coronavirus puts crimp in blooms at Longwood
COVID-19has devastated the 1,077-acre Longwood Gardens unlike anything in its 106-year history.
EAST MARLBOROUGH » A unusually warm winter drew record crowds to Longwood Gardens earlier this year, and it looked as if attendance would easily eclipse 1.5 million by the end of the year.
But when the coronavirus crisis forced the closing of Longwood Gardens March 13, it now appears yearly attendance will be an alltime low.
Of the 500 full- and part-time staff that maintained the gardens, only 45 remain.
Orchids that would have been sold on a normal year were composted. Garden beds that would be filled with colorful flowers this time of year are bare.
COVID-19 has devastated the 1,077-acre Longwood Gardens unlike anything in its 106-year history. And it’s not alone. More than 86 percent of public gardens across America are closed, according to Paul Redman, executive director of Longwood Gardens. Many of those gardens, that do not have the financial resources that Longwood Gardens has, could end up closing.
“Right now, the conservatory is looking bare,” Redman said. “And that’s a really unusual thing to see. Most of us at Longwood are grieving to a degree because we are removing ourselves from the people we want to serve.”
The seasonal plants that required daily care and watering were removed.
“We removed most of them,” Redman said. “Those plants could more than likely have some type of disease or pest problem. If one plants starts to go bad in our conservatories, it could just spread through the entire greenhouse.”
Typically, Longwood’s conservatory contains 4,600 different types of plants and trees.
Including volunteers, there would be about 900 workers tending to the gardens to bring about world-class beauty this time of year. Instead, Redman and others had to make difficult decisions on which plants to keep at its fiveacre conservatory.
And the 300-foot long, 14-foot green wall was determined to be a priority because one plant not cared for could destroy the entire wall.
“It requires a great deal of maintenance,” Redman said. “If one plant starts to become sick in that wall, even if just one leaf starts to decay or die, others start to decay and it spreads to the entire green wall, and we can lose it.”
Roger Davis, garden manager at Longwood Gardens’ Idea Garden, said some of the 50,000 tulips are on display virtually at longwoodgardens.org.
“Just like everyone, we had to make hard decisions,” he said. “We made the decision to pull bulbs out of the flower walk.”
This is so teams can shift their efforts to other gardens and displays planned to be on view after reopening, such as the plants intended for the iconic waterlily display.
Redman said that while some staff work remotely, not all of them are working full 40-hour work weeks. But he said Longwood Gardens has made a commitment to keep all 300 of them on the payroll through the end of September, the end of Longwood Gardens’ fiscal year.
“My goal is to save those jobs for as long as possible, he said.
Some of those employees who are able-bodied and do not have a loved one at home who is compromised or who could be compromised are beginning to be called back to work. That’s because Redman said he wants to start ramping up to prepare for the reopening.
And when Longwood Gardens does reopen, guests will get a special surprise.
“When that day does happen, I will be standing at the door, and I will be the first one to tell guests welcome back to Longwood Gardens,” Redman said. “That’s what we’re all working for.”
Redman said he just does not know when Longwood Gardens will reopen.
“I hope it will be this summer, fingers crossed,” he said. “It could be Memorial Day. It could be Labor Day. But we have our eyes set on summer. Summer crops are growing in our greenhouses and all of those will go into the gardens soon.”
But there is one bright side the pandemic has brought into the mix.
Over the past few weeks, a spirit of cooperation has developed. Staff have been helping in areas in which they typically don’t work, such as arborists pitching in with floriculture. Friendships are being strengthened, new skills are being learned. A deeper camaraderie is being cultivated. Collaboration is flourishing.
“Seeing how passionate the horticulture staff is to keep our gardens going is beyond rewarding,” said Jim Harbage, director of floriculture.