Autumn is a season I look forward to every year. The heat of this summer made me realize that some features of my garden need to be reconfigured. Autumn tells a special garden story. The success or failure of certain plants becomes quite visible. The gardens I recently visited in Delaware were inspirational and instilled a sense of hope for next year’s garden.
Members and friends of GardenComm – Region II recently ventured to Delaware and explored several select gardens. John Boggan, Region II member, curated a day in Delaware featuring various gardens for a taste of autumn near the shore. It was a beautiful day to escape and enjoy gardens anywhere. I missed the first garden filled with annuals and tropicals in a planned golf course community. The second stop of the day at the Delaware Botanic Garden at Pepper Creek is where I met the group.
AUTUMN AT DBG
The Delaware Botanic Gardens at Pepper Creek have been the talk of the horticultural community. Located in Dagsboro, Delaware, the latest Botanic garden on the East coast offers five different garden rooms to inspire all who visit.
The mission of the Delaware Botanic Gardens at Pepper Creek is to create a world-class, inspirational, educational public garden in southern Delaware for the benefit and enjoyment of all. One can only envision the future of this garden and the effect it will have on the landscapes of the future.
THE GARDEN ROOMS
Brian Trader escorted our group through the five gardens found at the Delaware Botanic Gardens. The Meadow Garden is a design of Piet Oudolf. He is known for his highly acclaimed naturalistic landscapes around the world. What an honor to visit this special place. This garden is beautiful in every season. Planted with 85% native and pollinator plants, the colors in autumn are just magnificent. A ribbon of soft-toned grasses and perennials danced in the middle of the field.
We visited the Inland Garden which featured plantings that mimicked how the landscape would have appeared many years ago. Karen Steenhoudt explained to us the significance of an Inland garden. We were invited to visit often and see how it continues to evolve.
The Woodland Edge Garden featured a branch border. Branches from the trees along the way are used to define the pathways. There were benches along the way for pausing and just enjoying the view.
The Woodland Gardens offered the familiar sounds of nature. From the whisper of the wind to the chirping of the birds…serenity was all around us. Oversized manmade nests were tucked among the trees. Educational whimsy created smiles in our group. Imagine 12 acres in its native state. With vernal pools edged with ferns, tall native coastal trees and more. There is a lot to envision and explore.
REVISITING NEXT SEASON
This was just the start of a wonderful day in Delaware. Exploring new gardens for inspiration in autumn is refreshing. I highly suggest visiting the Delaware Botanic Gardens at Pepper Creek in any season. Embracing nature and imagining the possibilities of what this site will become is quite intriguing. One of the latest Public Gardens that will educate and inspire all who visit.
Find out more information about the Delaware Botanic Gardens at Pepper Creek by clicking here
Wondering how Piet Odoulf has designed and touched the world of horticulture and landscapes around the world, click here
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In 1921, the Blisses hired landscape gardener Beatrix Farrand to design the garden at Dumbarton Oaks, and for almost thirty years Mildred Bliss collaborated closely with Farrand. Together they transformed the existing farmlands surrounding the house into terraced garden rooms and vistas, creating a garden landscape that progressed from formal and elegant stepped terraces, in the near vicinity of the house, to a more recreational and practical middle zone of pools, tennis court, orchards, vegetable beds, and cutting gardens, and concluding at the far reaches of the property with a rustic wilderness of meadows and stream. Within the garden rooms, Bliss and Farrand used a careful selection of plant materials and garden ornaments to define the rooms’ character and use. Since that time, other architects working with Mildred Bliss—most notably Ruth Havey and Alden Hopkins—changed certain elements of the Farrand design. The garden at Dumbarton Oaks was first opened to the public in 1939. The Dumbarton Oaks Park is a 27-acre naturalistic streamside valley park, maintained as a part of Rock Creek Park .