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Delaware Botanic Garden progressing toward fall 2019 opening

Sip and Saunter event shows off wildlife meadow to sponsors and partners
A temporary Visitors Center which will serve as a gateway to the gardens was opened for the first time during the Sip and Saunter event. It stands at the edge of the Oudolf Meadow Garden. DENNIS FORNEY PHOTOS
Dennis Forney
June 25, 2019

Delaware Botanic Garden showed off its Piet Oudolf-designed wildflower meadow to garden sponsors and partners in a Sip and Saunter event June 13.

The gardens, tucked between Piney Neck Road and Pepper Creek north of Dagsboro, are scheduled to open to the public in the fall of this year.

Oudolf is an internationally famous horticulturalist known for his use of native plantings in wildlife meadow settings. One of his best-known works is with the gardens of the High Line in New York City. His two-acre wildlife meadow in Delaware Botanic Garden is his first in the Mid-Atlantic area and is the centerpiece of the diverse garden setting which also includes a Woodland Garden path to Pepper Creek, a Wetland Outdoor Classroom and an Inland Dunes Garden.

To learn more about Delaware Botanic Garden at Pepper Creek, and to join in the initiative with donations, go to www.delawaregardens.org.   

 

A temporary Visitors Center which will serve as a gateway to the gardens was opened for the first time during the Sip and Saunter event. It stands at the edge of the Oudolf Meadow Garden. DENNIS FORNEY PHOTOS
A grassy mound in the center of the Meadow Garden allows visitors to gain a broader view of the meadows.
The 30-plus acre parcel of land that is home to Delaware Botanic Garden was preserved by Sussex County Land Trust in partnership with Sussex County Council. On hand for the Sip and Saunter event are (l-r) Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson, his wife Stacy, Delaware Botanic Garden Executive Director Sheryl Swed, Delaware Botanic Garden Board President Ray Sander, and Sussex County Councilman I.G. Burton.
Dogfish Head sponsored the Sip and Saunter event and is underwriting the Wetland Outdoor Classroom. Michael ‘Bit’ Bittenbender poured Sonic Archeology cocktails for event guests in the new Visitors Center. Sonic Archeology is a distilled spirit cocktail that includes Dogfish Head rum, Dogfish whiskey and other natural flavors.
The Meadow Garden includes a wide variety of primarily native and other wildflowers that make for a colorful splashy show from spring through autumn before it shows off its varied and muted winter colors. The glowing Big Blues - a member of the thistle family also known as sea holly - drew a lot of attention from event guests.
The pathway through the woodland garden leading to Pepper Creek includes a stone-stepped hill as an attractive vantage point.
Grassy pathways lined with benches offer visitors lots of opportunities to stroll through the meadow garden and pause to take in the natural beauty of more than 70,000 different wildflower plantings.
A resident box turtle takes sauntering seriously during its visit to the Folly Garden - centered around the foundation of an old farmhouse on the property.
Sussex County Economic Development Director Bill Pfaff, left, and Southern Delaware Tourism Executive Director Scott Thomas were among the sponsors and partners who attended the Sip and Saunter event. Thomas said he expects the Delaware Botanic Garden to be a big draw for Sussex County.
Serving a variety of Dogfish Head beers and ales at the Sip and Saunter event are Dogfish associates (l-r) Taylor Smith, Beer and Benevolence Director Mark Carter, and Chelsea Sternberg.

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