On Sunday, we drove to northern Delaware to see the Mt. Cuba Gardens which were established by Mrs. Copeland. She was lucky enough to marry a DuPont which meant she had plenty of money to buy a huge tract of land, hire an architect to design a Georgian revival house, and plan and execute a garden of native plants. As the docent said, she did not really turn her full attention to the garden until she had cultivated her three children.

Tulip poplar trees grew naturally in the area and so they worked with a landscape designer to select and plant other large trees such as willow oaks, magnolias, dogwood, cherry trees, etc. They also had four ponds built which cascaded into each other. Every spring the ponds have to be dredged or they silt in. The last especially large and still pond beautifully reflected the trees ringing it.

Outside the main house was a Maltese Cross fountain with four tulip beds. The tulips were all of different heights, purple, yellow, red, pink. Ringing the tulip beds were magnolia trees to unify the entire formal garden. 

Beyond the formal garden was a planting of lilac shrubs lining a walkway. The lilacs were in full bloom and their heavy scent filled the air even before I saw them. That rich, musky sweet odor on a hot day inspires day dreams.

Most of the garden is woodland shade plants. All the various forms of Trilliums and blue geraniums were blooming. My husband loved the trilliums for their pointed symmetry of petal and leaf.

Every year two local places sell native wild plants: Ashland Gardens and Cloverdale Farms.