Rare Collection Of Trillium Found At Mt. Cuba Center
Spectacular 30 Acre Botanical Garden In Delaware Is A Living And Breathing Reminder To Practice Ecological Horticulture
Mt. Cuba Center is “a botanical garden unlike any other.” Located in Hockessin, Delaware, the naturalistic style gardens focus on native plants. The serene landscape is not only relaxing and stunning, but a living and breathing reminder to practice ecological horticulture. Guests who meander throughout the 30 acres of garden can gather ideas on how to use native plants in their own home landscapes.
“It looks like you're walking through a woodland, pond or meadow area,” said Director of Visitor Experience Dorothy Leventry. “To the unknowing eye, it looks like it may be naturally occurring. That's something that's really stunning and sets our gardens apart. It's a beautiful, stunning and tranquil environment where people can take a step away from their busy lives and enjoy the outdoors.”
People often come to the gardens “just to rejuvinate,” to relax outdoors with family and friends. Maybe read a book near a pond, surrounded by woodlands. The botanical gardens' series of four ponds is one of its most iconic areas.
“As you approach the ponds from the path, you are walking through woods,” described Leventry. “There's a clearing and a reveal of the ponds. It's one of the areas that's most photographed. The ponds are really stunning year-round. There's lots of wildlife in them. It's not unusual to see and hear frogs, see turtles and see fish swimming in them.”
Another breathtaking site is the gardens' collection of trillium, a genus of plants that have been threatened in the wild. Mt. Cuba Center has a North American Plant Collection Consortium collection, in sheer numbers that are no longer naturally occurring in the wild.
“One of the reasons they have become threatened is that they take up to seven years to flower,” explained Leventry. “They are a sought after plant but hard to find in the nursery trade. They're not common garden plants. They really are something that we have to showcase as a particular species of interests in this area. It's a rare opportunity to see so many of them side by side in one location.”
With thousands of species of native plants from the Appalachian Piedmont area, Mt. Cuba Center is constantly advocating for visitors – from anywhere in the world – to use native plans appropriate for their area. But they let the gardens speak for themselves: There are no signs or tour guides at the botanical garden. While there are horticulturists available to speak with, most guests can travel through the property at their own pace, creating a personalized experience for each visitor, allowing them to bond with the nature around them in their own way.
“Something that a lot of people don't think about in our home settings and suburban settings is the importance of providing plants in a landscape that support biodiversity,” said Leventry. “The reality is that in our modern world, natural areas are so fragmented – nature preserves, parks – so we – and many other groups – want to get people to think of their home landscapes as a living system and a larger network of spaces that can support biodiversity. The simplest message we want people to walk away with is that the choices you make at your home matter. Whether it's applying chemicals to your lawn, or whether plant native plants versus invasive, dominant plants... All of those choices – even though you may have a relatively small piece of property – have an environmental impact, especially when coupled by choices of neighbors and community. We have an opportunity to enhance the potential for biodiversity in developed and suburban landscapes.”
Passionate about plants and the environment, Leventry has been working at Mt. Cuba Center for just over four years as part of the botanical garden's new initiative of completing a transition from private estate to public garden.
While the property has offered tours since the 1980s, the garden has only been open for general admission in the past four years. The garden was once an estate owned by the Copeland family, who purchased the property in 1935.
“At the time it was en-vogue for estate owners to build formal gardens around their home,” said Leventry of the 500 acres of land the garden sits on. “It was very characteristic of this region at that time, these country estate homes with elaborate gardens.”
But unlike the typical family of that time, the Copeland family began to have an increased interest in plant conservation and acknowledgement of environmental degradation. They started developing the naturalistic gardens on their property in the 1960s. They started offering tours while they were still living here, with the intention that it would ultimately become a public institution.
It's the property's message of environmental conservation that really made the position enticing for Leventry, who has always loved the outdoors and outdoor recreation.
“I like to hike, camp, kayak with my family. I am a novice gardener. We have people here that are really amazing horticulturists. My knowledge has increased dramatically from working here. What we teach here, I try to bring it to my home and my yard,” she said. “I love being outdoors and create a living, thriving community of life in my home landscape. I love that the ultimate result is a beautiful place for myself and family to enjoy just outside our back door.”
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.
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