Page 12 - Visit Wilmington Visitors Guide 2015/16

www.visitwilmingtonde.com/gardens
GARDENS AND MUSEUMS
No matter the season, beauty is always in bloom in the Brandywine Valley.
Longwood Gardens
Every Flower Tells A Story
The story of the gardens of the Brandywine Valley is the story of a family. When the du Ponts settled in Delaware, they began a centuries-long commitment to their new home. Today, their vision and commitment to the local ecology is on daily display at five magnificent gardens, where the story continues as every new season comes into bloom.
AREA EXPERT:
JEFF DOWNING —
Executive Director of Mt. Cuba Center
AREA OF EXPERTISE:
Planned gardens
MT. CUBA CENTER
FOUNDER: Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland
HISTORY: Sharing a great love for gardens and wildflowers, the Copelands hired well-known Philadelphia landscape architect Thomas W. Sears to plan the first formal gardens and terraces around the house in the ’30s. That was the start of decades of planned growth with a focus on native plants and ecosystems.
TODAY: Mt. Cuba is a botanical garden and research center with more than 50 acres of display gardens and over 500 acres of natural lands.
Q. What’s the enduring legacy of the du Pont family in the Brandywine Valley?
A. For more than 200 years, the du Pont family has instilled in the Brandywine Valley a profound love of gardening, plants and the value of nature. That heritage is readily apparent today, and remains vital in the thriving, magnificent gardens of Longwood, Winterthur, Hagley, Nemours and Mt. Cuba Center. But perhaps the most enduring du Pont legacy is the family’s deep commitment to the conservation of the natural environment, recognizing its importance for both wildlife and human health and well-being.
10 | Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley | @VisitWilmington | GreaterWilmingtonCVB
Courtesy Larry Albee